A Story Never Told
by MsAir
Summary: "Gally wasn't always like that. And believe it or not, it's not because of you or the bloody changin'," Newt said. After Gally blew up at the Gathering, Thomas stumbled upon a swing in the forest. He finds out that Gally hadn't always been the jerk he is, and also the reason why. Gally/OC
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I am not James Dashner. I do not own Maze Runner.**

* * *

" _Where in the world is the forgotten?_

 _They're lost inside your memory,_

 _You're dragging on; your heart's been broken,_

 _As we all go down in history,"_

 _-The Forgotten by Green Day-_

* * *

A Story Never Told

Chapter 1: The Introduction

Thomas trudged through the forest, trying to find some place where he could be alone. The Gathering had ended a while ago and even if he was excited to know that he was going to be a Runner, he couldn't help but think that his other troublesome problems drowned out the only good one.

Alby, the girl in the coma, being punished, Gally blowing up—it was all too much. He needed to get away and collect his thoughts.

The image of Gally at the Gathering kept haunting his mind. The Keeper of the Builders hated him—a lot. He despised Thomas for something Thomas didn't even know. The others accepted Thomas with ease, but Gally couldn't. It confused Thomas. Since he stepped out of the Box, Gally had it against him.

Thomas wasn't sure what Gally saw in his Changing to hate him so much. If only Gally would talk, but there was a better chance of Grievers having lunch with Thomas rather than the former ever happening.

According to Newt, Gally changed after being stung, but what was he like before? If he had never went through the Changing, would he have accepted Thomas like the others or would he still remain as the obnoxious person he was? That made Thomas wonder what would happen if everyone got stung and remembered—maybe they would hate him too.

Sighing, Thomas walked deeper into the woodland, crunching his feet on dry leaves and twigs. As he journeyed deeper, his mind drifted to Alby.

The leader of the Glade was going through the Changing at that moment. Would he hate Thomas when he woke up? Would he and Gally manage to convince the other Gladers that he was somehow evil?

Too consumed in his thoughts, Thomas didn't notice an ensnaring twig sticking out of the ground. His foot got caught in it and he fell. Unfortunately, as he tried to stand back up, the ground beneath him gave way and crumbled, leading him to tumble down a small but steep hill.

Thomas grunted in pain as he landed back on the flat ground. He stood up slowly, wincing at the bloody scrapes on his arms and the throbbing in his legs. He huffed and rubbed his aching elbows, and proceeded to dust himself off.

"Great, Thomas," he muttered to himself. "How in the world are you gonna be a Runner when you can't even walk through the forest without any injuries?"

Snapping his head up, he examined his surroundings. He had never been in this part of the forest. The grass didn't grow as tall as it did anywhere else. In fact, what he saw in front of him was an open space. The grass was there, but seemed to be trimmed short. Unlike the other parts he had been through the forest, this empty grassland had only one massive tree, in the middle, and was a few yards wide before the other trees surrounded it. Sunlight shone through the open sky above, luminescing softly on the green grass.

The place was beautiful.

He snapped out of his daze, shaking his head. He rotated in his spot, trying to find a way out when something caught his eyes. He blinked, not believing what he saw in front of him. It was hanging from the only tree there, and was impossible to miss. Walking closer to it, he exhaled in astonishment.

It was a swing.

How an innocent, childlike object of amusement could be found in the Glade was beyond his thoughts. He stepped closer to the contraption to convince himself that it was real.

Lightly, he touched the thick rope suspending the wooden seat. It looked firm and recently developed, like it had just been here for a short while. The seat of the swing wasn't the flat, wooden one like he would've expected. Instead, it was a neatly curved, smooth seat. It was the ideal thickness and attached to two metal triangles. The ropes were fastened around it securely and were tied to a branch high above him.

Thomas felt a sense of warmth pass through him as he wrapped his fingers around the rope. It seemed like the most innocent thing in the Glade. The swing made him think of his childhood, even if he didn't remember anything. He briefly wondered why he never knew about it.

"Quite a fetching contraption, innit?" a voice spoke from behind Thomas.

He turned around to see Newt, gazing at the swing like he was in a trance.

Thomas nodded. "Yeah. Has it always been here?"

"No," Newt shook his head, frowning. He walked closer to Thomas, his eyes never leaving the swing. "It was made last year."

"By who?" Thomas asked.

Newt sighed, leaning against the tree the swing was attached to. "You might not believe me."

"Try me," Thomas replied, eager to know who created the beautiful swing.

"It was Gally," Newt revealed.

Thomas blinked in shock, not believing Newt. "Gally? As in the Keeper of the Builders? The Gally that blew up just now and threatened to kill Minho?"

He couldn't believe it at all. The awful, violent, hateful Glader made the swing? It was hard to see the truth in that. The swing emitted an innocent, happy, childlike aura, and Gally was anything but that. Sure, Thomas never knew him that well, but he knew enough to know that Gally would rather bully others than waste his time making a swing for kids.

"Gally wasn't always like that," Newt spoke up, defending the misunderstood boy. "And believe it or not, it's not because of you or the bloody Changin'."

"Then what was he like?" Thomas' curiosity stirred. "Before, I mean?"

Newt sighed, sitting down on the floor and leaning on the tree. "You'd better sit down. It's a long story."

Thomas reluctantly obeyed and sat facing the blond boy, straining his ears to listen carefully to every word. Newt stared at the swing, looking like he was going through a flashback. Thomas thought he saw a flicker of sadness and longing in his eyes, but it was gone just as fast as it came.

Newt had a thoughtful expression on, figuring how to explain Gally's story to the newbie. At last, he sighed and sat up straight.

"You see, Tommy. A year ago, a greenie came up in the box," Newt started. Thomas frowned in confusion. What was so special about a greenie? Before he could ask, Newt continued. "What made that greenie different was the fact that it was a _she_."

Thomas took a moment to understand Newt and widened his eyes when he did. "She?"

"Yup," Newt nodded, smiling. "The greenie was a girl."

That took Thomas by surprise. When he arrived in the Glade, he just assumed that no girls had ever been sent up due to the inexistence of the gender presence. He had immediately thought that the girl in the med-jack's room was the first girl the Creators ever sent.

"So you mean, before the girl in the coma came up…there was another girl?" Thomas asked slowly.

"Mhm," Newt hummed affirmatively. "Her name was Ada."

"Ada?"

"Ay-dah. Ada. That's her name," Newt repeated like Thomas was a baby.

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I get it. So what's her connection to the swing and Gally?"

"Wait, I'm still trying to figure out how to tell you this," Newt said. "Should I give you the long story or just the short one?"

"My day in the Slammer is tomorrow, and I have nothing else to do now," Thomas mused, shrugging. "I think I have some time for the long story."

Newt nodded, flicking his gaze to the swing before going back to Thomas. "Good. It's been awhile, so bear with me."

Thomas nodded.

"Okay, it all started like this…"

* * *

Gally was lounging around on his hammock, too tired to go find something beneficial to do, or even eat. He had just finished building the roof for the Gladers who chose to sleep outside instead of inside the jam-packed Homestead. He gave the other Builders a day off and they chose to spend it by lounging about, playing around the Glade and eating all of Frypan's food.

He just wanted to sleep the day away.

Just as he was about to fall into a slumber though, a loud, blaring alarm sounded in the Glade. He groaned and smacked his forehead with his palm. He tried to lie face down with his fingers in his ears to block out the sound, but it was useless.

A slap on the back made him growl. He turned his head to the side and opened one eye. "What do ya want, klunk-head?"

Newt smirked at his friend, shaking the hammock even more. "The greenie, ya shank. We need to go get 'im."

"The alarm goes off for half an hour before he actually arrives," Gally said, closing his eyes again. "Let me sleep first."

"Fine," Newt sighed. "You owe me for this."

"I don't get why I owe you, but whatever," Gally spoke, his voice muffled from the hammock. "Just leave me."

Gally heard Newt leave and exhaled, finally able to sleep peacefully despite the annoying alarm still going off. He ignored the other voices asking if he was going to go greet the greenie, and tried to sleep. After a few minutes of trying, he finally fell into a light sleep.

Surprisingly, the sound of the alarm stopping and the sound of metals opening woke him up. He huffed in annoyance and tried to get back to sleep. Not even a minute later though, the door to the Homestead slammed open noisily.

"Gally!" a high-pitched voice called. "Gally, Gally!"

The Keeper of the Builders growled and snapped his head up to glare at his peace intruder. It was a young boy, probably twelve or thirteen or so, and he was jumping around excitedly like he just won a ticket out of the Maze.

"Gally!" the boy repeated again when he spotted the older boy.

"What?" Gally asked harshly, just wanting to get back to his nap.

"Gally! Gally!" he said again enthusiastically as he skipped to the boy's hammock. "Gally!"

"I swear, Steve, one more time you say 'Gally', and I'll throw you off the Cliff," Gally sneered, sitting up to face the little boy. "What do ya want?"

Steve smiled nervously under Gally's intimidating gaze. "Uh…Newt told me to go get Gal-I mean, you! Said it was important."

Gally sighed, rubbing his face hopelessly. "What now?"

"The greenie!" Steve squealed. "It's a-oh, wait. Newt said not to tell you."

"And why is that?" Gally asked suspiciously.

"He said, and I quote, ' _tell him to get his fat arse over here and take a look for himself_ '," Steve replied, grinning while imitating Newt's accent. "Come on, hurry! I want to see too!"

Gally grumbled, irritated. "Fine, fine. Just…stop being so happy."

Steve ignored Gally and smiled widely. He started bouncing to the door, looking back to make sure Gally followed. The Keeper slowly got off his hammock and traipsed lazily to the door.

"Hurry!" Steve urged.

"Shut your hole, I'm coming. God. You're so annoying," said Gally, walking faster to the door. He wondered what was so important for Newt to call him. "I _so_ don't owe him for anything," Gally muttered under his breath on the way out.

* * *

Thomas decided to cut in. "You guys were friends?"

"Quite good friends, actually. Alby, him, Minho, the other Keepers and I," Newt said. "We were all sent up here first so we only had each other to be around. Hard to hate someone when they're in the same situation as you."

Thomas nodded, trying hard to picture Gally being all friendly with Newt.

* * *

Gally followed Steve to the oh-so-familiar box in the middle of the Glade. He saw the Gladers crowding around it as they did every month. Only this time, every single one of them had surprised and dazed looks on their faces. Gally frowned in confusion and jogged faster over to them.

"Newt?" he called as he approached the boy.

No reply came out of Newt and Gally scowled. He pushed through the crowd of Gladers until he stood behind Newt. He tapped the blond boy on the shoulder and received a turn of the head in response.

"So what's so important for you to disturb my sleep?" he asked begrudgingly.

"The greenie, you klunk," Newt said, jerking his head into the box. "Look."

Gally rolled his eyes and peered into the dark box. His eyes caught sight of the weekly supplies but no newbie. He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion and continued his search for the boy.

Finally, his eyes landed on a figure by the corner of the box.

Only difference was; it was a girl.

Gally's eyes widened as he took her in. She was huddling to herself in the corner of the box, hiding her head in her arms and knees. She was shaking visibly and her long brown hair strewed everywhere across her head and shoulder. Gally released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in.

"A girl," he said, not taking his eyes of her. "It's a girl."

"Congratulations, shuck-face. Your brain is still working," he heard Minho reply from across the Box.

Rolling his eyes, Gally turned a blind eye to Minho's remark and nudged Newt in the elbow. "Why is she still in there?"

"We don't know how to get her out," Newt answered. "She refused to use the rope. We tried pullin' her up but the shank wouldn't budge."

"So why did you call me?" Gally asked, confused.

Alby stepped forward, towering over the Box. He looked at Gally and said, "We need you to convince her to come out."

Gally blinked. Once. Twice. He couldn't see the logic in their idea of _him_ trying to convince her to come out. He—Keeper of the Builders, easily irritated, known for his short temper and violence when something was wrong. Why did they think _he_ could convince a _girl_ out of the box?

"Are you kidding me?" he repeated in disbelief. "I'd probably scare her to death if anything."

"Newt tried going in but she hit him with a supply bag," Alby said.

That was when Gally knew why they wanted him to go. "Oh, I see. Just because I'm the Keeper of the Builders, it doesn't matter if a supply bag comes at my face. Cause I'm used to pain from hammering my fingers and cutting my hands and blah, blah, blah."

Newt laughed and slapped Gally on the back. "You whine like a tot, y'know," he said. "Just go try and get her to come up."

Gally rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing that he didn't really have any other choice. He jumped onto the box holder and into the box. A loud resonating _bang_ sounded as his shoes landed on the metal floor. He saw the girl gasp in shock, lifting her head slightly to see what landed in her temporary domain.

Deep brown eyes gleamed as she stared at him before tucking her head back in behind knees. Gally sighed, and started to walk closer to her. Her slender hand carefully reached out for a bag beside her. She lifted a bag filled with something light and got ready to throw it at him.

"Whoa, easy there," Gally said, raising his hands up in defense. "You don't want to do that."

The girl lifted her face slightly to look at him. "W-why not?"

Gally had to refrain from smirking at her quivering voice. It was a light, soft sound, almost like a whisper, and he wouldn't have caught it had he not been close enough.

"Because I'm stronger than you."

The girl's brows furrowed slightly. "So what…you'll drag me out of here?"

"If I have to, yeah," Gally nodded. The girl narrowed her eyes as he started to walk closer. The Keeper sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt ya, greenie."

"H-how do I know that?" she retorted warily.

Gally shrugged and crouched down to match her sitting height. "You don't," he answered simply. The girl frowned as her grip tightened on the bag. Gally saw that and snorted. "You do know that a bag that small wouldn't hurt me at all, right?"

"It hurt your friend," she choked out quietly, and Gally had to give her points for trying to act brave despite her body trembling in fear.

"I'm strong," Gally smirked smugly. "Newt up there, on the other hand, is a wimp."

"Oi!" a voice hollered, followed by a small stone falling on top of Gally's head. The boy winced and hissed painfully at the connection. Rubbing his head, he looked up to see Newt glaring at him. "I can hear you, slinthead."

Gally rolled his eyes and muttered, "Obviously."

A breathy giggle caught Gally's ears. He turned to stare at the girl as she hid her nose in her knees, biting back a smile. "Wow. Very strong."

It took a few seconds for him to register that she was mocking him, the caution in her eyes dimming. Gally huffed in annoyance and sat down in front of her, too tired to continue squatting. "Might as well get this over with. How long are you planning to stay down here?"

"I don't know," she said. "Until this thing brings me back to wherever it came from?"

"The box doesn't go back down with a person inside. You'll have to come out sometime."

Her brows knitted together as she remained mute. A few seconds later, she tilted her head to the side, looking as if she were analyzing him. "Why...why can't I remember anything?"

"S'not just you. Everyone sent up in the box remembers nothing." Gally shrugged, a tad bit impressed that she was taking the lost of her memories far better than most greenies. "You're name'll come back to you soon at least."

She opened her mouth to say something, but then paused and closed it. "But...why?"

"That's what we'd all like to know, greenie." He rolled his eyes, looking back up at the heads heedfully watching their interaction. "Listen, we have a leader up there that'll answer all your questions, okay? You wanna know more, get outta here."

The girl frowned, cuddling up firmly to herself as she huffed lightly. Gally sighed. "Look, you coming out or not?"

"Do…do I have to?" she asked, the slight tremble back in her voice.

"You don't really have a choice," Gally said. "You're stuck here with us, and there's no escaping that."

She eyed Gally cautiously and shook her head. "What do you mean? Where is _here_?"

Surprising himself by smiling, he held out a hand for her to grab. "Come on, greenie. Let me show ya."

It was in that moment where she should've grabbed his hand willingly and let him lead her to the world above them. She should've just smiled and accepted everything, left him alone afterwards and let him go back to sleep. That was what she should've done…or what Gally was hoping for anyways.

Instead, she frowned at his hand and shook her head defiantly.

Gally felt the irritation in him build as he stood up. "You brought this onto yourself, greenie."

Without any warning, he grabbed her and flung her body over his shoulder. The girl yelped in surprise and started to thrash in his grip, but to no avail. She started screaming at him but he didn't listen, only tightened his grip around her and moved his face away so it wouldn't get hit.

Surprisingly, she was so light that he could literally jump out of the Box if it was low enough. It wasn't though, so he had to toss her body over the top of the Box gently, and climb out by himself.

"What the shuck, Gal? What were you thinkin'?" Newt cried out when the girl landed in front of him unceremoniously. "I told you to _convince_ her, not _manhandle_ her!"

"Nah, I think I would've done a better job convincing a Griever to have lunch with me than to convince that stubborn shank," Gally retorted. "She's crazy, I tell ya."

"No, _you're_ crazy!" the girl shouted, her high-pitched voice ringing through the silent crowd of boys. She stood up, dusting herself off vigorously whilst mumbling under her breath, "barbarous maniac..."

"Sure, greenie," Gally rolled his eyes and sighed, finally taking a good look at her.

He couldn't really see past her long, wispy, dark hair in her face, but her eyes were striking. It was like what he would imagine on perfectly carved, dark, wooden furniture. Her bold eyes were blazing though, making them darker than they originally were. Her cheeks flushed red even with strands of hair covering them, undoubtedly from anger. She was shorter than Newt—but then again, who _wasn't_ shorter than Newt.

It took Gally a moment to realize that he was staring and looked away, trying to keep an impassive expression on his face.

* * *

"Wait, so she was pretty?" Thomas asked, cutting Newt off.

Newt rolled his eyes but smiled softly, thinking about the girl. "She was beautiful."

Thomas was taken aback by Newt's blunt honesty. ' _She must've been, to make Newt smile like that_ ,' he thought.

"Okay, then…"

* * *

The girl rubbed her arm where she landed on the concrete ground, glaring at Gally. She unexpectedly stomped forward to him but was held back by Newt.

"Trust me, you don't want to do that, greenie," he said, carefully pulling her back.

"Oh, but I want to," she snapped and yanked herself out of his hands.

It somewhat amused Gally how furious she was when she was only a shy, timid girl not a few seconds ago.

She started walking to Gally, fuming, but he didn't look the least bit frightened. In fact, he looked quite bored. She shoved him once.

Unfortunately for her, he only scoffed.

"That the best you can do, greenie?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed and she held out a hand to strike him again, but he caught it swiftly, just as it was about to hit his chest. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he tugged the girl closer, keeping his hands on hers firmly. He bent down to her face with dark and intimidating eyes, close enough to her that she jerked back.

"I'm warning you, greenie. I'm probably the most violent out of these shanks, and you won't like it when I'm mad," he said in a low, steely voice.

Then, he released her hands, taking a step back yet still glaring. She huffed, her eyes darting away from him. Walking back to Newt, she scowled and eyed Gally warily.

Newt smiled apologetically. "I told you, greenie. Now look what you've done."

"He threw me over that thing like I was some kind off… _rag doll_ ," she whispered heatedly to the blond boy. "And what does greenie even mean?"

' _Well, you do look like a doll_ ,' Gally thought unconsciously, his eyes trailing up and down her body, and frowned when he realized it. He scoffed aloud, making her glare daggers at him.

Before anything else could be exchanged between the two, Alby strode forward and commanded the attention like the leader he was. "Okay, break it up. Slim yourselves, klunk-heads. Enough shuckin' drama."

The girl scrunched her eyebrows in confusion at Alby's vocabulary. "What?"

"Nothing, newbie," Alby said, taking a good look at her before sighing. "Now this is…different."

Gally watched as the girl's eyes slowly moved to the audience around her, before darting down at her feet, as if she just realized that she was surrounded by at least twenty boys. She shuffled awkwardly, trying not to let the stares bother her. Everyone was silent as Alby thought of what to do and thankfully, the girl didn't create anymore ruckus.

"She remember anything, Gal?"

"Nah. Same as every shuck greenie."

A moment of silence passed.

"Fine. Let's call a Gathering to see what to do then," Alby finally voiced. "Now."

Gally groaned inwardly. He had been hoping that he could go back to sleep, but that didn't look like it was about to happen any time soon. He sent the new girl a dirty look behind her back, blaming her.

Suddenly, Alby's eyes landed on Gally and he said, "Oh, except you, Gally."

"What?" the Keeper of the Builders asked, blinking confusedly.

"Today's your day off, right? Ya just finished building the buggin' roof," Alby explained. "Don't have to attend the Gathering. We'd be just fine."

Gally felt a weight lift itself off his shoulders. He sighed in relief, thrilled at the thought that he could go back to sleep. "Thank god for that."

The relief didn't last long though. It was when Alby smirked, and then he felt a twist in his guts. The leader smirked mischievously and continued, "Instead, you can babysit the girl."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Ya heard me, Gal," Alby snickered, looking at the boy triumphantly. "The girl's in your care."

Gally frowned, staring at the side of the girl's head. He started shaking his head, refusing, but Alby held a hand out in front of him. "But-"

"No buts, Gally. You seem to get along well with her already," Alby continued, placing his hands on his hips, satisfied. "We good? Okay. Keepers—Homestead in five! Gally, you're dismissed."

Before Gally could retort, Alby turned around and made his way through the crowd. One by one, the Keepers started following. Newt gave Gally a smirk before going along, leaving him with the girl and a bunch of boys. Gally stared at the back of the Keepers' figures in exasperation.

"They're leaving me with _you_?" the girl asked, her voice only loud enough for him to hear.

Gally narrowed his eyes, clenching his jaw shut so he wouldn't blow up at her. "You heard, greenie. It's your lucky day," he rolled his eyes, annoyed. ' _I'd rather be at the Gathering now,_ ' he thought.

"…So what now?" the girl asked after awhile, rubbing her arm uneasily when Gally didn't answer.

The boys crowded around them started dispersing when Gally gave them head jerks. A few slowed in their steps to continue looking at the girl, but he stepped in front of her, obscuring their view.

He frowned, crossing his arms to think of what to do with the girl. He could maybe just throw her in the Slammer, but Alby wouldn't appreciate that. He couldn't bring her into the Homestead obviously, since there was where the Gathering was held. He contemplated leaving her at the kitchens with some food while he could continue sleeping, but then she would have a hard time with the other Gladers.

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Gally?"

It took him a moment to realize that it was the girl that said his name. Only, her voice had lost all its anger. Her now silvery voice made him stare for a while until he finally found his senses.

"What?" he blinked unintelligently.

The girl shrugged uncertainly. "That's your name, isn't it? Those boys called you Gally just now."

"Uh, yeah," he nodded, shaking his head to snap back into reality. _I_ _must be really sleepy._ "What did you ask me?"

"I asked, what now?"

Gally exhaled and thought of a place to bring her—where he could rest and she could gather her thoughts in peace. "Now, you follow me, greenie."

"Ada," she suddenly mumbled out, making him raise a questioning eyebrow. "It's my name, Ada—not _greenie_. I don't even know what that means."

He raised an eyebrow at her. _Ada_.

Smirking, Gally started walking in the direction of the Deadheads. "Whatever, greenie." When she didn't follow, Gally crossed his arms again. "Are you coming?"

"But...but where are we going?" she asked, taking a tentative step toward him and looking around the Glade. Mainly, the walls.

Gally heaved a breath. "Stop being so scared of things, greenie. Shuck, you wanted to hit me a while ago. This place ain't that bad. We're not gonna eat ya."

If anything, that only made her recoil. Gally rubbed a hand down his face in annoyance, trudging back to her and gently grabbing her arm. When she jumped and tried to pull back, he sighed. "Look, no one's gonna hurt you here, okay?"

Ada relaxed slightly, her shoulders losing its tenseness. She didn't take another step further, however. Gally took notice of her eyes roaming again to her surroundings and let go off her arm.

"Look, I'm in charge of babysitting you," he said. "If anyone tries anything, I'll be there to stop 'em."

She bit her lips, her eyes narrowing ever so lightly at him. "And what about you?"

"If I try anything, I'll let you tell Newt and Alby and see the shanks beat me up, okay? Now, let's go." She took a step toward him, releasing a shaky breath. He softened a little at the dim terror in her eyes.

He felt that too once when he arrived in the Glade.

Turning to face her fully, he lowly murmured, "Hey, listen. I know you're scared and all but nothing's gonna happen."

"You promise?" she asked quickly, her voice as light as a bell.

"I promise."

She looked into his eyes, wariness slowly dissolving into acceptance as she sighed. Nodding, she gave a small smile. It leaned more towards a grimace, but he took it as a smile. "Alright then."

Gally gave her a small nod, the corner of his mouth tilting up ever so slightly, and dragged her in the direction of the Deadheads.

* * *

"So you just left her with Gally?" Thomas asked incredulously. "Just like that? No worries of what would happen to her?"

Newt sighed in irritation. "I told you—he was different before. He may be still temperamental and violent, but he wouldn't really seriously hurt or kill anyone," he said. "Try to think better of him, Tommy. No one was born bad. He has a bloody reason for what he is now."

Thomas nodded, slightly abashed. "Oh, uh, okay."

"And can you stop cutting me off? We're not even halfway through the story yet," Newt stated. "Try to listen before asking questions, yeah?"

* * *

 **Woo! This is my first Gally fic. Since this story is basically telling 'why he is what he is', Gally will probably be a little OOC. Maybe. I'm not sure; tell me if he is. And if he is, then it's okay because…well…this is before his changing and Thomas. He must've been a good person once, right? Let me know what you think!**

 **Reviews are always appreciated!**

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Dislike

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maze Runner**

* * *

 _"In front of your eyes,_

 _It falls from the skies,_

 _When you don't know what you're looking to find._ _"_

 _\- With Me by Sum 41 -_

* * *

A Story Never Told

Chapter 2: Dislike

Deep in the forest, Newt scrunched his eyebrows, the wheels in his mind spinning on how to continue his story. The sky was still bright out, and he still had the whole day; he wanted the story to slowly sink into Thomas. Wanted it to properly convey how Gally and Ada got along, but he didn't know how to continue.

Gratefully, Thomas handled that for him.

"So far, I take it she's the total opposite of Gally." Thomas shrugged, his mouth pursing at the mention of the said boy. "Except for the shoving when he threw her over the box."

"Well…" Newt hesitated. "…probably in only some circumstances, but yeah. I suppose."

"So what? Is this where you tell me opposites attract? Did Gally immediately like her or something?"

Newt chuckled, and Thomas saw his eyes lightening with humor. "No. Actually, he started off hating her."

* * *

Gally lay under a tree, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. He had brought the greenie to the Deadheads, where he could peacefully lie and try to sleep without any chatter to disturb him, while she could just sit. He didn't really care all that much about what the greenie did, honestly.

Unfortunately for him, that did not happen.

The greenie fidgeted a lot. He had already lost count at how many times he caught her shuffling and changing her seating position against a tree. She also asked questions, thus, breaking his peace. He didn't mind the curiosity, actually—he knew how it felt.

It was how she asked.

He had already had it in his mind that she was a shy, frail thing, and he didn't mind that at all, really. But he _did_ mind when it took a whole minute for her to speak up for one question. Her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear with the distance between them, and asking her to repeat it was exhausting. She _mumbled_.

Also, the time lapse between her questions went on for too long. Gally would think she was done and maybe—finally—get some sleep, only for her to ask another question three minutes later in her whispery voice.

It was unbearable.

He didn't care if she might be pretty. All he wanted was a nap.

"So, um…where does the water come from?"

"Pipes."

Silence. Gally mentally counted how long it would take her to ask another question.

"Where are the pipes?"

He couldn't hear her. " _What_?"

"The pipes…where are they?"

"Underground."

"Where did they come from?"

It was a quick response, at least. "Don't know."

Silence. Gally cracked an eye open, seeing her stare at the grass in front of her, a small frown on her face. She had changed her position again so that her hands hugged her knees close.

He wondered if she would finally stop asking question. She had already asked a lot. He'd been vague. She should be tired of questions now, knowing he wouldn't be giving anything away. Gally shut his eyes slowly, a small slump of relief in his shoulders. Hopefully, she was done-

"Have you ever tried digging to see?"

" _Yes_ , greenie," he said through his teeth. "And before you ask two minutes later, we found nothing but dirt seven feet in, so I'd suggest you to slim it and _keep quiet_. Alby will answer all this later."

He sent her a glare and she visibly hugged her knees tighter. A muffled mumble of "sorry" escaped her as he sighed and closed his eyes once more.

She would probably keep to herself now, Gally thought. He heaved a breath and settled back against the tree comfortably, his mind clearing the irritation brought on by her. A minute passed. The silence was _finally_ peaceful and he hoped sleep would catch up to him in-

"W-when am I seeing Alby?"

"Oh, for god's sake."

Gally grunted and bolted up from his leaning position, shooting her yet another glower. He was _done_ babysitting. "Right now."

"What?"

"You heard me," he growled, standing up. "Exactly right now. Let's go."

"But…r-right now?"

"Did I stutter, greenie?" he asked irritably, throwing his hands in the air. "Hurry up! Let's get this over with."

The girl blinked at him before standing up and mumbled a low, "alright, alright."

Turning away from her, he stomped through the forest, cursing Alby in his head. _So much for a day off_. He occasionally looked back fiercely to her to make sure she remained on the right track.

The greenie struggled to keep up with his large strides, and Gally would have almost felt pity for her if it weren't for his annoyance right then.

Once out of the forest, Gally's eyes zoomed in on the Homestead. The doors were closed and no one was walking in or out, so he assumed the Gathering was still proceeding. He spared a glance at the girl—who was somewhat out of breath when she emerged from the forest—and made his way to the Homestead.

"Hurry up."

She was definitely getting another babysitter.

* * *

"She seems nice."

Newt raised a questioning eyebrow.

"She annoys Gally."

The blond boy huffed. "Can you maybe put a pause to hatin' the shank and let me continue?"

Thomas raised his hands in defeat.

* * *

The look the girl greenie gave him when he abandoned her with Alby almost made him stay to assure that her safety. However, he wasn't that nice.

Gally had successfully left her in Alby's hands once the Gathering had disbanded. For some reason, the girl had looked scared when he announced he was leaving her in Alby's care. _Stop looking so worried, greenie_ , he had said. _He's not gonna lock ya up._ And then Gally left without even a look behind.

Whilst the Leader of the Gladers interrogated her and took her off Gally's hands, he relished in the chances of him finally getting some needed sleep.

Too bad that lunch was already served.

It was an unspoken rule in the Glade that if you missed a meal, you don't have any choice but to wait for the next one. Frypan only had so much patience.

If Gally had slept, he would awake soon only to be hungry and without food, so he reasoned that he would sleep better on a well fed stomach.

As soon as he had gotten his food and sat down near some of the Builders he worked with, his sight was intruded by the person he was least hoping to see again that day. "Oh, come on," he muttered under his breath. "What are you doing here?"

If his annoyance had crept into his voice, the girl did a good job at ignoring it. "Alby said he'd give me a tour tomorrow."

That didn't answer his question. He furrowed his brows and shook his head. He thought of asking again what she was doing _there at his table specifically_ , but swallowed the question back down along with some broth.

The other Gladers had visibly slowed down their actions to catch sight of her and Gally could practically feel all of their curious gazes on him.

His decision to disregard her existence right there didn't help much since her eyes seemed to pierce him and only him the entire time. He'd look up to catch her stare and would instantly look away irritably. When his bowl was almost half-done, he finally sighed in frustration.

" _What_ , greenie?" he voiced, his tone clipped.

She smiled uncertainly. "Nothing."

He scowled, but seeing the empty space in front of her, it immediately turned into a smirk. "Where's your food?"

She blinked before her eyes glanced downward uneasily. "T-there was too many people at the line," she mumbled. "I'll get it later."

An idea hit Gally. Standing up, his eyes darted to the cue behind Frypan's food table and he felt the urge to laugh. He sent the greenie a jerk of his head, and as she stood up nervously, he told the other Builders to watch his food.

"Follow me."

Gally walked to the long line of chatting boys, and turned to see her wary expression. She shook her head in anxiety. "I-I said I'll get food…later."

"The food will be gone if you're late," he countered, grabbing her arm and placing her behind a boy. He smiled sardonically. "Now, just queue until it's your turn, get the bowl, find a seat and eat. Easy, right?"

He started walking back to his table when her eyes widened in alarm. "Wait," she whispered. "You-you're leaving?"

He wanted to feel guilty when she looked at him like that—like a deer caught in headlights—but Gally wasn't known to be generally nice. This was his chance to get her to leave him alone. He gave her a shrug. "Gotta get back to my food."

"But-"

"You'll be fine."

" _Gally_."

He stopped in his steps, observing her panic-stricken face. She was clenching her hands together so tight he thought he could see them slowly turning white. He could feel sympathy crawling up his back but then he was reminded of his food and his _sleep_. Taking care of a greenie was a job he never signed up for.

He shrugged unapologetically. "Look, greenie. If ya want to survive here, you gotta toughen up."

Her mouth fell open in dismay as he turned back to his seat without another glance at her. He quickly finished his meal, and just as she came toward the table with a bowl of broth finally in her hands, he stood up and left.

He thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes, and narrowed his eyes.

Did he feel bad? Not really. Maybe just a little bit.

Was she worth giving up on his sleep? No. Absolutely not.

And with that, Gally jogged back to the Homestead for his rest, leaving the poor girl alone in a sea of strangers.

* * *

"Okay, wait." Thomas cut in. "I know you said he wasn't all bad and all, but he sounded like a jerk even back then."

Newt rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe the shank's always been a jerk, but he was a tad bit better back then."

"He left a girl—who obviously has some anxiety problems—with strangers."

"Oi," Newt huffed. "Are you telling the story or am I?"

"Right, sorry. Go on."

* * *

His chance for a nap was ruined in the end—not by the greenie, but by Winston. The boy had accidently broken the fence for the livestock while trying to lure one stubborn cow back into its enclosure.

To make sure none of the other cows or chickens attempted escape, he and two other Builders were forced to fix the fence up. By the end of the day, Gally definitely wasn't feeling like the happiest, most well rested shank in the Glade. He kept glaring at Winston the entire time they worked.

After the fence was back to its original state, Gally had left to freshen up. He couldn't go to sleep because dinner was in an hour or so, and was left to wander around. He hadn't seen the girl greenie around and took it as a good thing.

Maybe she was still glued to the dining table earlier.

The Maze Doors had already closed, and he briefly pondered if Alby already told her what that was all about.

As Gally strolled through the outskirts of the Deadheads, his ears suddenly caught the ruffling of clothes and murmured voices. His eyes narrowed as he scoured his surroundings and swiftly found the source—a group of Gladers huddling by a tree with one of them animatedly pointing in the direction of the Deadheads.

As one of the Keepers, he sighed and hid near a tree, listening for any wrongdoing the shuckfaces might be up to.

The boys whispered in hushed voices, though, and when one of them jerked his head to the forest once more, they all snickered and gave a holler of agreement. Gally frowned when they all made their way deeper into the woodland.

He silently trailed behind them a few feet back, careful not to step on any branches or twigs. As they walked merrily, Gally wondered where exactly they were going to because the path seemed familiar. His thoughts gave an answer as soon as the boys stopped walking.

They snickered amongst themselves, and when Gally zoomed his eyes on their object of curiosity, he frowned.

It was the girl greenie sitting by a tree in the spot he had brought her to earlier. Her posture confused him, however. Her head was buried in her knees, her hands firmly clamped over her ears while her body shook—it was only a little bit, but it was quite visible to his eyes.

What she was doing there, he'd never know. But he sure had an idea on why the group of boys was there.

A younger Glader pushed an older one to the front. He quickly looked from his friends to the curled up girl and put on a—was it supposed to be charming?—grin. "Hey, there."

The girl's head shot up, her body tensing up instantaneously. Her eyes widened a fraction when she looked at the boys behind him. Gally caught her eyes and frowned in confusion—she had been _crying_. The tear tracks on her cheeks glistened from his hiding spot, yet the boy near her didn't seem to acknowledge it.

He then saw the nervousness making their way into her dark orbs as she sat up straight, wiping her tears away and sniffling lightly.

"Hi," she whispered, and Gally wanted to laugh when the boy's face twisted into one of perplexity when he didn't hear her.

The boy continued his pursuit, nonetheless. "The name's Peter," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But people call me Pete."

Gally scoffed mentally. He watched as the greenie wrung her fingers and gave a nervous smile. She replied with something too soft for Gally to hear.

"So what's your name?" the boy asked, taking a few casual steps closer to her. Her eyes narrowed at his feet as she slowly gave an answer. The boy didn't seem to hear it. "What?"

"Ada," she repeated a bit louder, her voice cracking. It suddenly occurred to Gally that he hasn't been using her name despite knowing it.

The boy smirked. "Ah, _Ada_."

The group of boys behind him looked at each other and tested out the name, the word echoing through the air. They all smirked and nodded, snickering a few times, and Gally asked himself if something was funny, because he couldn't understand what they were doing.

The girl looked confused as well, and when Pete suddenly strode closer to her and crouched down, she backed up instinctively. He caught the move and chuckled.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya, greenie," he said in a low voice. "But it _is_ getting dark out. What's a girl like you doin' out here?"

She gulped, her lips tightening into a straight line as she slowly inched away from him. "I was just…sitting."

Pete turned his head to his friends and smirked. "Ya know, there are some fun places on the other side of the forest. You can maybe sit better there," the boy spoke again, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We're goin' right now. Wanna come with?"

Her brows connected as she shook her head cautiously. "That's okay. I-I'm fine here."

"But it'll be fun!" a slightly younger Glader chimed in, sniggering. "You don't want to miss it."

"No, it's okay-"

"Oh, come on, _Ada_ ," another boy laughed, stalking forward to her. "We can show ya 'round. Give an early tour."

The girl's hands were clenched together, her finger entangled in a pale color. She quickly stood up, dusting herself off and putting some distance between them warily. "I think I'm just…gonna go back to the main field."

The boys exchanged unrecognizable looks and Gally got a feeling that they were up to something not quite good. He was proven correct when the greenie started walking past them but Pete stepped in her way, almost knocking into her.

"Well, then we can take you there," he said with a sly smile. "Don't want to get lost now, do we?"

Gally saw the slight frustration building behind her eyes in spite of the nervousness. "It's fine. I remember the way."

She was about to walk past him once again when he grabbed her arm. Alarmed, she tried yanking it back only for the grip to tighten. Gally frowned as her eyes snapped up to them in shock and fear, her hand still trying to tug away to no avail. The boys chuckled and crowded around her.

"Let go of me," she said shakily.

Pete only guffawed. "We're just gonna show you around. Don't look so scared."

"What do ya slintheads think you're doing?"

The four boys immediately froze at Gally's icy voice. He stepped away from the tree to reveal himself; a firm glower set on each of their faces. Their gazes shifted from the greenie to him nervously as they gradually backed away from her, Pete immediately releasing her arm.

"Oh, uh…hey, Gal," one of them stammered out. "Didn't see you there."

"Hmm?" he cocked his head sarcastically. "Too busy harassing the poor greenie?"

Pete, possibly the most defensive out of all of them, said, "We were just introducing ourselves. Offered to show her around."

"Course ya did." Gally scoffed. "Grabbing her was part of the offer?"

Pete narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really? You can't pin that on me. Ya threw her over your shoulder to get 'er outta the box, shuckface."

Gally's eyes darkened. He had never cared about this Pete kid but starting then, he was definitely going to be under maximum scrutiny. "There was a point for that, idiot, and that was getting her out." Gally stood straight, arms crossed and towering over Pete. "She obviously rejected your offer, so what you should do is leave her alone, not grab her hand."

Pete's face turned red, and he was about to retort when Gally yanked the back of his shirt and tossed him over to his group of friends.

"Get outta here. If I see any of you even within five feet of her, I'll sick Alby on you all." He added a death glare. " _After_ I'm done breaking your arms."

Knowing that he couldn't go up against a Keeper, mostly the Keeper of the Builders, Pete growled and turned to leave, his posse following right behind him. Gally let his eyes follow the group until they were out of his sight, before turning to the girl—who was already staring at him, a thanks right about to roll off her tongue.

He took in a deep breath. And then-

" _Why_ in the shucking world are you here?" he hissed. "It's almost dark out. What were you thinking?"

The girl's eyes widened at his immediate anger. Her mouth gaped open for words. "I-I was thinking of finding you," she replied quietly and added, "At first, at least. Then I just…sat."

An incredulous look passed over his face. " _Why_?"

"Alby told me to," she shrugged, eyes downcast as if she were being scolded by an adult. "He said to 'go find your babysitter'."

Gally held back a snarky remark. "And you assume that's me?"

She bit her lips and nodded slowly. "W-when I asked for confirmation…he said 'who else?'"

Gally's patience broke.

His brows met in a furious frown as he growled, cursing Alby once more in his head. "The shucking slinthead…screw that! Forget what that slinthead said. I'm _not_ your babysitter."

She inhaled shakily. "…maybe babysitter isn't the right term-"

"No, _listen_ ," he seethed dangerously, stalking forward and fiercely glaring into her eyes. "I. Am. Not. Your. Babysitter. I'm not your caretaker; I'm not anyone in charge of you, okay?"

Her eyes clouded with both confusion and desolation. "But Alby-"

"Forget what Alby said!" he snarled, making her take a step back. "I didn't ask to be your caretaker, greenie! I don't want the job. Go find someone else."

Her face filled with surprise and concern before she frowned. "B-but I only know you."

"Is that my problem?" Gally retorted snidely. "I don't care, greenie. You've bothered me all day and I think it's wise for that to end right now." He grit his teeth, mentally exhausted from dealing with the new greenie. " _Leave me alone_."

Gally then heavily treaded out of the woods, leaving a puzzled, hurt girl behind.

* * *

Back in the forest with Newt, though, Thomas frowned as the British boy continued his story. He didn't understand why Newt was so sure Gally was different back then because he surely sounded the exact _same_.

He was rude, cruel, and overall just a jerk.

Thomas still couldn't find himself liking or understanding the 'back then' Gally.

"I know what you're thinking, Tommy, but just hear out the story, yeah?"

* * *

The next day, Gally received an early wake up call from his Builders since _it wasn't his day off anymore_. Thankfully, he had gone to sleep slightly early the night before, but it still wasn't enough in his mind.

He hadn't seen the greenie around much since last night, only once at dinner looking lost, but she didn't bother him so he took it as a good thing.

He suppose he might have been a little harsh but that was just who he was.

On his way to the Builder's hut, a few voices stopped him in his track. To his right were a few Gladers crowding by a log, their snickers going by unnoticed. Gally sighed and wondered what else it could be, straining his ears to hear.

He caught the words 'she', 'last night' and 'hammock'. Straightaway, the memory of the four Gladers harassing the greenie yesterday flashed through his head. He narrowed his eyes, ready to confront the said Gladers when he caught on to more of their talk.

"She was really crying?"

"Yeah!"

A snarky laugh. "How petty."

"I guess girls are like that, huh?"

"What's the use for the Creators sending us a crybaby?"

The group of boys snickered when another one of them chimed in his part of the story. "It was shucking annoying. I couldn't sleep listening to her sniffling so much! I'm bunking somewhere else tonight."

Hearing those kids speak negatively about the greenie made Gally roll his eyes. Compared to the rest of the greenies ever sent up, she was probably the calmest of them all. Aside from the crying and questions, she hadn't tried running away or screaming and demanding for immediate explanations like most greenies have done.

It was quite impressive.

Gally cleared his throat, interrupting the small gathering.

"Last I remember, Mitch, you didn't just cry when you arrived, ya thrashed around like a shuck madman," he scoffed, crossing his arms. "And ya ran into the forest to hide for the whole day. Hey, didn't you cry when we found you?"

His voice turned mocking as he gave the boy a sarcastic smile. "I really can't remember. Too much screaming."

The boys stopped talking on the spot, taken aback by Gally's sudden appearance. Surveying each of their faces, he found that they weren't the boys from yesterday. When his words registered at last, the earlier boy—Mitch—scowled and stood up, a mean blush on his cheeks.

"I wasn't crying. Give it a break," he said defensively. "You guys surprised me and I freaked. Who wouldn't?"

The corner of Gally's mouth twitched upwards. "The girl."

An ugly frown instantly marred Mitch's face, as well as some of the other boys. He recognized one of the boys as one of his Builders. "Adam," Gally said. "You done with the planks I sent you?"

The boy blanched and took a few steps away from the group. "U-um, yes. I'll go get 'em."

Reverting his attention back to the Gladers, Gally smirked. "Before ya klunkheads gossip about who's petty and who's not, try rememberin' each of yourselves when you came up."

They all exchanged looks, and Gally found himself asking why he was defending the girl. It wasn't as if he cared, though, he was just doing his job as a Keeper—keep the Glade a friendly place and all that. He caught Mitch glaring at him and returned it with one of his own.

"I've been here before you all. If all she did was cry, then she's probably the toughest greenie yet, slinthead." Gally snorted. "Heck, even Alby freaked when we came up."

That earned a few snickers from the younger Gladers of the group—but not Mitch. Mitch kept glaring at Gally, his face red with fury.

Rolling his eyes, Gally turned to continue his journey to the Builder's hut, hollering back a "get to work!" to the boys loitering around.

Whilst on his way, his mind wandered. Even if he _had_ yelled at the greenie the day before, at least then he can say he had also helped her—that was two groups of boys off her back. She could have a little peace now.

Plus, he had called her the _toughest greenie_ in public. That was sure to make up for something.

* * *

Thomas nodded as he listened intently to Newt. _Okay, maybe he wasn't that bad before._

* * *

Gally made the mistake of sleeping that fateful evening, because when he woke up, he realized that it was almost 9:20 PM.

He had missed dinner.

And after a tiring day of chopping and smoothing out lumber with his Builders, he had hoped for a meal to stuff himself. He hadn't planned to sleep for so long—he had just wanted a short nap. Too bad that naps at six in the evening weren't all that it were cut out to be.

When he arrived at the dining area, Frypan and his food were gone. The other Gladers were either finishing up or chatting by the tables, obviously done with their dinner.

Gally groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. His stomach wailed.

"Ey, shank," a familiar voice snapped him out of his misery. "Don't you look depressing."

Gally gave Newt a dejected stare. "I fell asleep."

"Oh, missed dinner, huh? Too bad," Newt replied, patting Gally's arm. "Hey, if you can find Frypan, maybe he'll heat something up?"

The Builder rolled his eyes. "You know that won't happen."

Newt grinned. "Yeah, probably not. You can try begging some food from the shanks still eating. One of your Builders, perhaps?"

"I'm not that desperate."

The blond boy gave a laugh and shook his head. "That's bloody unfortunate, then." He clapped his hands together, taking a few steps back. His eyes squinted and Gally felt as if he knew what was coming.

"So the girl greenie..." he started. "She came up to Alby and I alone last night. Said she couldn't find ya."

Gally raised an eyebrow. She hadn't sold him out.

"I saw her alone today too. Where've you been?"

"I'm not her babysitter, Newt," Gally grunted. "You can find someone else better for that job."

Newt gave him a stern stare. "Come on, Gal. Ain't a tough job."

"It's not if it's tough or not, Newt, she's just..." Gally trailed off, trying to piece his words properly. "Kinda annoying."

That earned Newt's surprised. "Annoying? She's barely said anything to Alby and I. Only nods and little question here and there."

"Exactly."

Newt gave him an amused look. "So she's annoying becase she's quiet and may ask about one or two questions?"

"And she gets into trouble," Gally mumbled. "Had to save her from a couple of shanks yesterday."

"Before or after you left her at the Homestead?"

"After."

"So she lied to Alby and I about not finding you?"

Gally blinked, shortly realizing that he had just sold himself out. Newt only shook his head, though. "Gally...what did you do?"

"What? I did nothing!"

"You scared her off, didn't you?"

Gally huffed. He was hungry and moody and he didn't need a scolding from Newt. "No."

"You horrid shank," Newt said, still shaking his head, though with a grin this time. "Guess we can't do anything about it. Alby will find a replacement, then."

"Good that."

"Well, see ya, then." The blond boy took a few steps away from him, giving a wave. "I gotta go find Minho."

Gally lifted his hand in a pathetic wave as Newt jogged to the Map Room. Having nowhere else to go, Gally sighed and dragged himself to the tables for at least a cup of water. Getting his drink and finding his group of Builders, Gally took a seat and was quickly bombarded by questions.

"Gal, man. You're late!"

"Yeah, you missed dinner," another chimed. "Where'd ya go?"

"He was sleepin'," replied an unclear voice. Gally looked to his left see that the boy was still chewing his food. "Snoring pretty loudly in the Homestead."

 _Didn't think of waking me up?_ He thought bitterly. However, he knew everyone else knew better than to try waking him up. His reputation as the grumpiest shank in the Glade didn't come out of thin air.

"I don't snore, shuckface," he retorted, taking a sip of his drink. His eyes unwillingly trailed to the menu for that night.

It was stir-fry. Chicken stir-fry.

"Well, too bad, shank," his Builder said, swallowing the last bits of his food. "Frypan's dinner was awesome tonight."

Gally glared at the side of the boy's head and supported his head on his knuckle. The dining area was slowly clearing out of Gladers. His eyes followed the figures of people walking by him in boredom, and he sighed.

His stomach made another rumbling noise, and he glowered down at it. Once his Builders had left to retire to sleep, he remained at the dining area; his glass empty and his body slouched on the table, resting on his folded arms. The tables were almost empty save for a small group of younger Gladers loudly conversing to his right.

He felt quite pathetic.

His stomach rumbled and Gally gave another sigh, frowning at the table. He was never sleeping after work ever again.

Out of nowhere, a bowl settled in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked up to see who had disturbed his disconsolate self. His eyes met warm brown ones.

It was the girl greenie.

Her mouth parted to say something, but she shut them as soon as they opened. Finally, she just breathed out a soft "Hi."

Gally blinked, his eyebrows still knitted in perplex. "Hi."

She bit her lips, awkwardly seating herself on the bench opposite of him. "I, uh, saw you sleeping back at the Homestead." Gally was glad they were only a short distance apart so he could actually _hear_ her. "And when you didn't show up with your friends to dinner I assumed you overslept."

"Yeah, what about it?" Gally murmured, looking back down at the table.

She was probably there to shove it in his face.

A grating sound of her bowl sliding across the table made his eyes snap back to her. Her lips stretched into a hesitant smile as she nodded to the bowl in front of him. "You can have it."

It took a few moments for Gally to take in what she had said.

When it sunk, he frowned. "What?"

"The food," she said. "Steve told me about the rule, that if you missed a meal then that's it. If you're hungry, you can have the rest."

 _Who's Steve?_

"You're giving me your food?" He stared at her bewilderedly for a few more seconds until she looked away uncomfortably. He snorted. "I don't need your pity, greenie."

Her eyes flared slightly and she shook her head. "It's not pity. If you don't want it, I'll just throw it away...but then it'll go to waste."

Gally narrowed his eyes. Why could she be offering him food after the way he had treated her yesterday? There must be some sort of ulterior motive. _Has she poisoned it?_

"Look, I saw you eyeing your friend's food," she said finally. "And I can't finish it, anyway, so just take it. I'll leave you alone afterwards, I promise."

When he still didn't move to pick up the fork—and only stared at her suspiciously—the girl sighed in defeat and made it to grab the bowl back. At the last minute, though, Gally quickly snatched the fork and dumped it into the stir-fry. He brought a scoop up to his mouth and started chewing.

The girl looked at him for a moment before a small smile broke on her face.

Begrudgingly, Gally mumbled out, "Thanks."

As he ate Frypan's stirfry, the girl sat there quietly, not asking any question or making a single sound. Her fingers tapped the table softly, and it came to Gally's consciousness that everything she did seemed to be in that matter—soft. She spoke softly, moved softly, smiled softly—shuck, she even seemed to breathe softly.

Not knowing what fully came over him, Gally opened his mouth.

"So," he spoke, breaking the silence. "Ya made a friend, greenie?"

The tapping on the table stopped right away. The girl looked shocked that he had asked her a question. _He wasn't that harsh to her yesterday, was he?_ He remained silent, swallowing the stir-fry slowly as he waited for her answer.

"O-oh, yes," she replied, her eyebrows scrunching a few beats later. "...I think."

"Ya think?"

The girl looked over to the table where the younger Gladers were still hanging out. She nodded, a crooked smile on her lips. "Yeah, Steve is...I don't really know how it happened, but I think he's my friend now?"

Gally turned his head to the table of little Gladers to find the Steve she was talking about. He recognized the boy instantly—it was the Steve who woke him up the day before when she had arrived.

"Oh, _that_ Steve." Gally tried imagining the boisterous nature of the kid in contrast to the greenie's shy demeanor. A small smirk came to his lips. "No wonder."

She went back to tapping her fingers and Gally surprisingly didn't mind it. She had given him food, after all. She _did_ have a weird expression on her face when Gally asked another question, though.

"Alby gave you the tour yet?"

She gave a hum after a few blank seconds. "This morning."

He raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed impassive. "Our situation and Grievers don't freak you out?"

"...a little bit."

He stopped chewing to scoff. "A little?"

She shrugged with uncertainty. "I-I'm curious...but not freaked out, if that's what you're asking." Seeing his face, she explained. "I mean, what's freaking out going to accomplish?"

Gally studied her before going back to his food. "Hm. Got into any more trouble?"

The greenie frowned. "I...I haven't gotten into any trouble at all."

"Yesterday. Deadheads." He pointed his fork at her. "That was trouble, greenie."

"O-oh, right," she said softly. A few secods later, she continued, "I want to say thanks for that, too...you know, for stepping in."

Gally gave a nonchalant nod. "It's my job." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was about to explain all the Keepers' responsibilities, but was interrupted.

"Ada!" a high-pitched, happy voice suddenly called out. They both turned their heads to see a skinny little blond running to her. _Steve_. "We're going to play stones now! Come on! You said you wanted to watch!"

Gally raised an eyebrow. He assumed by her 'wanting' to watch, Steve had offered and she was forced to agree so she wouldn't feel bad.

"N-now?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Her eyes darted to the group of his friends in panic as she inhaled deeply. "Okay…okay, sure." She gave Gally an unsure smile. "Um, see you around?"

He nodded, and the younger boy there immediately grabbed her hand to lead her away. Gally looked on with amusement as Steve tugged, making her stand up quickly and clumsily make her way past the other benches.

He remembered something, and hollered after her. "Hey, greenie!"

She stopped walking as soon as Steve halted in his steps. Her eyebrow raised in question as she looked back at him.

"Where are you bunking?"

"The...the edge of the hammocks?" Her face showcased confusion at his question. His expression pushed her to further elaboration, finishing with an uneasy shrug. "Alby put me at the far end—that corner jutting out—because...well, I'm the only girl and all."

"You sleep outside?"

She nodded, still seeming dumbfounded by his question.

Gally pursed his lips before nodding back. He jerked his head to Steve and the boy immediately started to drag her away again.

After finishing the stir-fry, Gally quickly made his way to the outdoor hammocks for some business.

* * *

That night, after some discussing with Alby, Gally had found Mitch's hammock and emptied it. The younger shank was overjoyed to find out that he had the chance to sleep inside the Homestead. Gally, on the other hand, was setting up his new hammock lazily, wondering _why exactly_ he was doing what he was. He felt like he was going to extremely regret his actions.

Whilst he was tightening the ropes on his new hammock, a soft, surprised voice came to his ears.

"Gally?"

His head snapped up to see the girl greenie, her mouth gaping as she studied him securing his sleeping space. "Hey, greenie."

At his nonchalance, her eyes widened in incredulity. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Setting up my hammock?" He raised his eyebrow. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Her eyes squinted in extreme puzzlement. "A-aren't you a Keeper? Keepers sleep inside, right?"

"Yep."

"...so why are you here?"

"Mitch and I switched."

She looked at him, wide-eyed, as if he was crazy. That was a new look, at least. "But... _why?"_

Gally finished tying his hammock and shrugged. When she raised her eyebrows inquisitively, he sighed and turned away from her, feigning dusting the hammock off. "I'm your babysitter, remember?"

It was silent for a short while. When he still didn't hear a reply, he turned back to her to find her baffled expression gone. Instead, it was replaced by a smile—a real smile. Not her uncertain, uneasy and shy smiles—a wide, authentic, genuine one.

"What?" He scowled.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

" _Greenie_."

"It's nothing," she said again, drawing Gally to huff before she walked over to her hammock.

Mitch was not kidding around when he said his hammock was only about two feet away from hers. His hand might not be in reach but if he tried, he could definitely kick her hammock from the distance.

Once the Gladers all settled in their own places, Gally lay back on his hammock with his hands crossed. After a minute, the coldness of the air outside hit him. He questioned yet _again_ why he exchanged with Mitch.

From his side, a soft voice broke his thoughts. "Goodnight, Gally."

He stared at her back that was facing him for a moment before sighing. "Night, greenie."

* * *

"He switched to sleep outside?"

"Yeah, I have no idea why," Newt said. "I thought he was going to ask Alby to put her inside but no."

"Wait, I'm confused," Thomas confessed. "So he's bad to her all day, and suddenly she offers him her food and he's nice to her?"

Newt shrugged. "I personally thought it was his way of apologizing for screaming at her. The shank's not that verbal, you know."

It made sense when Newt put it like that, but-

"Wait, doesn't he sleep in the Homestead, now?"

"Well, _obviously_ —" Newt rolled his eyes. "—the story's not finished yet, Tommy."

Thomas frowned. What exactly had happened before he came? Curiosity had never been one of his best attributes. He was about to open his mouth to ask a question, only to find Newt holding up one finger in mid-air.

"Don't even think about it. Sit back. We still have a long way to go."

* * *

 **Chapter 2! Thank you for all the comments and follows from Chapter 1! I'm sorry, this chapter seems so messy to me, but I have exams in exactly 18 days so I had to get this done at least. I'll make the next one better, I promise.**

 **Thank you for reading! :)**


	3. Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner. Obviously.**

* * *

 _"Take the to realize,_

 _That your warmth is crashing down on in,_

 _Take time to realize,_

 _That I am on your side,_

 _Didn't I, didn't I tell you?"_

 _\- Realize by Colbie Caillat-_

* * *

A Story Never Told

Chapter 2: Friends

Over the next couple of days, Gally found himself in a comfortable routine alongside the greenie. Minus the first day he woke up in his new hammock. The girl had been silent still around him, and maybe it was the slight guilt in him or the timid nature she possessed, but he had invited her to stick around by the Builders' site that day.

So she did, and whilst he was busy cutting up floorboards and ordering his boys around, she sat quietly by the unused logs. She was still there every time Gally spared a look—in case she wandered off—looking more and more bored with each passing minute.

He had been at a lost for what to do when she fell asleep by the time afternoon arrived, however.

How she could fall asleep in the middle of a chaotic Building site, Gally had no idea. But that was how she had gotten a temporary job as a Builder.

He couldn't give her heavy work like sawing and chopping wood, of course, so it took him a few minutes of jumping between the safer Builder jobs before he settled on the easiest one he could think of.

"How about you sand the planks?"

And that was the first time he saw something other than nervousness or fear on her face—she had quite an unimpressed look on. All set with a sassy raise of her eyebrows. It still looked a tiny bit innocent on her but it was something, at least.

So after she had been unofficially appointed as Greenie the Temporary Plank Sander, _then_ their unsophisticated schedule had fallen into place.

Breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, sleep.

It was easy enough for Gally to watch over her.

* * *

"Wait, wait," Thomas interrupted, looking offended. "Why was I not told there was a sanding job around? That sounds way easier than a track-hoe."

Newt sighed. "There _are_ no sanding jobs, Tommy. We don't actually care whether our buildings around here are smooth or rough."

"But she-"

"It wasn't a real job. I think he just pitied her being so bored that she fell asleep around loud sawing and hammering. Now, slim it."

* * *

By the time almost a week had passed, Gally had come to a realization that, 1: Newt was really taking his time with the replacement and 2: The greenie really wasn't that bad.

She would stay at her station in silence, sanding planks to smoothness. Her muteness had somewhat bothered Gally—not that he felt more guilt from yelling at her before, no, he was over that—but nobody could be that quiet, right? It wasn't possible.

So when her first question after a long time popped up, Gally found himself replying with quite an answer that she looked rather dumbfounded—more so when he started asking her questions of his own. After a few days, he gathered that he was probably the only person she talked to _willingly_.

He didn't really know how he felt about that.

But, like he said, she really wasn't all that bad. He'd even go far as saying that she was good company. Spending the past week as her babysitter had his knowledge on her grow moderately.

He knew that she wasn't unbearably quiet once she got used to people; knew that she doesn't like being near Minho much because of his very loud, very raucous personality; knew she always tries to act interested when his Builders would strike up a conversation with her about something out of her intrigue field so she wouldn't hurt their feelings; knew that she's really, very, painfully _nice_. Too nice for his liking.

He also knows the reason she was crying that first day in the Deadheads.

When he woke up to her crying, he had thought it was only nightmares like every other Glader, but then found her curled up in a ball that evening on the same day.

He had sat down and forced her to tell him what exactly she was facing—because if it was anymore harassing boys, Gally had thought of maybe taking it to Alby—but she soon reluctantly choked out her fear of loud sounds.

Mainly, the Doors opening and closing.

And so Gally made sure to always be around her whenever evening would arrive, and also be the one to wake her up each morning so the sound doesn't shock her. It didn't mean anything; he just didn't need the girl to continue being a crier. Being the only girl in the Glade was tough already.

After a whole day of chopping more wood and measuring boards, the brightness started dimming in the Glade; a sign that night was to fall soon and the Doors were about to close.

Like every other day, Gally left his station to walk over to the greenie, but she was nowhere to be seen. He refused to acknowledge the silent alarm rising because she _might_ just have gone to the toilets—but it wasn't like him to not realize that the greenie had left. He thought he was doing a swell job at babysitting.

Frowning, he swiftly tapped the shoulder of a nearby Builder. He gave a curt nod after receiving an answer and made his way over to the hammocks.

His eyes quickly zoomed in on her upon arrival, seeing as they were the only two by the edge of the sleeping area then. Sitting quietly on her hammock, the greenie was staring at the Doors whilst her hands fisted her pants.

"Greenie," he said as he neared, nodding at her.

She blinked up at him before a small smile spread across her face. "Hi."

"You left the site early."

His statement seemed to surprise her, before she tucked some hair behind her ear and nodded. "Right. The planks were, um, finished."

Gally raised an eyebrow, mentally reminding himself to ask one of his Builders to chop up more planks. "You could have told me instead of just walkin' off. We don't need something like the first day repeatin'."

"No," she said, her head tilted quizzically at him. "No, I suppose not."

"Just saying. Warn me next time." He shrugged before muttering, "Babysitter, remember?"

The girl then nodded, a grin threatening to spread on her lips. _Yes, they were at the level were she could grin now, already._ Unfortunately, whenever he'd ask why she'd grin _like that_ , she'd only give a cryptic 'nothing' and turn away.

Gally darted his eyes from her to assess his watch, before leaning against a nearby pillar. "It's almost that time where you cover your ears."

The greenie's grin instantly tugged down into a frown. "I-I know."

Her hands went back to balling up against her pants. Gally sighed, having an idea on what she was going for. "You can cover 'em, you know." He said quietly, motioning to his ears. "Ain't nobody expecting you to be all brave and fearless so fast."

"I'm not…trying to be brave…" she trailed off, brows scrunching slightly. "I'm just trying to get over it."

"You're not gonna get over it in a day."

"I _know_ ," she answered, before releasing a shaky breath. "Baby steps."

He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. Sliding down against the pillar to sit, he said, "Baby steps, then."

She then gave him a smile, captivating and grateful, as if he just offered her a way out of the Maze or something. Gally blinked at it blankly before turning his gaze to the Doors. He checked his watch again.

"Anytime no-"

A resonant boom came from each door in the Maze, sending immediate deep tremors through the entire Glade as the grating sound of stone against stone started. The sound propelled Gally to observe as the greenie jerked and squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the cloth of her pants tightly as he counted the seconds.

 _One._

 _Two._

Her hands flew up to palm her ears, her head shaking as her body trembled lightly. Gally continued counting the seconds.

When he reached twenty-two, the tremors stopped with a bang from the shut Doors.

The greenie still had her hands over her ears, her breaths coming in and out harshly. Gally waited for a few beats to pass before lifting his hand to pull them down. She recoiled before her eyes snapped opened and saw him, her hands falling immediately.

"You okay, greenie?" he asked.

She nodded, albeit a little hesitantly as she regained her normal breathing tempo. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."

Seeing her frown as she smoothened out her pants, Gally offered, "You made it two seconds."

"Only two?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Now you only got twenty more."

Gally stood up slowly; his head turning to the Kitchens were everyone was starting to gather for dinner. He was hungry. When he turned back to her, her eyes were still downcast. Gally exhaled heavily and took a step toward her.

"Hey."

She looked up. He could see the traces of disappointment in her eyes, and he huffed.

"Come on, greenie. Baby steps, remember?"

The greenie didn't blink for a short while, until the sides of her lips curled up to release a laugh. It was soft, quick; _tinkling_ would probably be the best word to use. There were no bells in the Glade, but he was sure those were the contraptions her voice reminded him off.

Not that it was bad. It was a nice kind of bell laugh. Like the small chimes people hang on baby cots.

"Baby steps," she repeated, beaming as she nodded. "Right."

Gally nodded back at her stiffly before turning in the direction of the Kitchens. "Dinner's ready. Let's go."

And she sat at his table during every meal, of course, but only because that was what babysitters did.

* * *

Thomas frowned, deep in thought and confusion. Okay, perhaps Gally was different back then, _but_ -

"That's different. Totally nice of him, and I know I'm interrupting you but-" Thomas shrugged. "But how do you know that happened? Not that I don't believe you, I just-how did _you_ find out what happened?"

"All will be revealed soon," Newt said vaguely.

And knowing Newt, Thomas reluctantly went back to quiet.

* * *

It was later that night when Newt and Alby broke the exciting news to him.

"You found what?"

"Your replacement."

"My replacement?"

"You forgot?" Alby asked. "The greenie. We got a new caretaker. You're done now."

Gally's furrowed eyebrows remained furrowed until what Alby had said clicked into his mind. "Oh."

"Yeah, sorry for the late change," Newt sighed. "We've been busy with the outer Maze Minho's mapping. Still nothing, so far, but we reckon there's got to be an entrance of some sort somewhere."

Gally had always cared about Maze news, but after a year of hearing them and constantly getting his hopes up for nothing, he's gotten used to not bothering anymore.

But then the reminder that he can now leave the greenie in someone else's hands without worrying to fend off lecherous Gladers kicked in once more and he frowned. How could he forget that he asked for a change before? After a moment in thought, though, he smiled satisfactorily. Freedom was his.

 _About time._

"Doesn't matter." He told Newt. "Important thing is by tomorrow, she's gonna be around this other shank, yeah? I can go back to not giving a klunk?"

Alby crossed his arms. "Come on, Gal. She ain't that bad. You eat with her and I see her around the Builders' site all the time. Ya don't seem t'mind."

"Well, yeah, I had to keep an eye on her. What better way than to give her a job to stay put?"

"Ya gave her a fake job," Alby said. "We never sanded the boards here."

"What? You expect her to make doors and cut tree barks?" Gally raised an eyebrow in response before he moved to sit on a random bunk. He clapped his hands together before asking, "So, who's the unlucky shank she's assigned to? Hopefully not any of the loud, childish ones."

A small grin made its way onto Newt's face. "Why? You're not starting to care, are you?"

" _No_." He glared at the blond boy. "She just gets scared easily. Mostly by new people," he muttered. "Put her with someone like Minho and she'll cry her eyes out."

Newt cocked an eyebrow. "You do know you're much scarier than him, right?"

Gally scowled. "There's a difference. I'm silent, he's brash. His sarcasm and rudeness will send her running and I don't want to be the babysitter again."

"But you're actually doin' a good job, ya know," Newt grinned. "She seems to be fine with you. No complains, no nothing. _You_ haven't complained too besides that first day. Ya sure you don't want to continue?"

Alby quickly cut in before Gally could retort to the English boy. "No worries. Newt's takin' care of her. He's taking a few days off running while Minho puts together the outer Maze."

Gally raised his eyes to look at a beaming Newt. He scoffed. "You?"

"Oi. What's wrong with me?"

"You're…" Gally trailed off, showing off abstruse hand motions toward Newt. " _This_." When Newt and Alby shared a questioning look, Gally furthered. "You're so social and talkative and all."

"So?"

"She's a real quiet person. Not really into talking." Gally thought back about it. "Hates talking actually. Both _from_ her or _to_ her."

Newt waved as if that wasn't a big deal. "I can talk enough for both of us, then. I assume she can nod." Then, he smiled one of his slightly charming smiles. "B'sides, I grow on shanks, Gal. Sooner or later, I might end up as her best friend."

 _Best friend_. Gally could have laughed. _As if_.

She was a timid, quiet, reserved person and Newt wouldn't understand that. The part about him growing on people, however, Gally couldn't contradict. It was true in some sort of way. The image of her actually _warming up_ to Newt and being his _best friend_ sent a grouchy feeling up his back.

Gally continued frowning, scrutinizing Newt with intensity before turning to Alby. "Is there really no one else?"

"It's either him or you," Alby pressed. "I need my Keepers to do their jobs, and you're both the only shanks free."

Sighing, Gally relented with an unconvinced shrug. "Well, at least you're not loud like Minho."

"Alright then!" Newt nodded, straightening his back and rubbing his palms together. "That's settled. She'll start job tryouts tomorrow morning so don't worry if ya don't see her at your site."

Gally exhaled and slumped on the bunk. "Good that. Is that it? I'm free to go, now?"

As soon as a nod came from Alby, Gally jumped up and made his way out of the Homestead. He had news to tell the greenie. It was what he wanted. He was fine with it. Only-

"Oh. Hey, wait." He turned back to Newt, frowning as he remembered the girl clutching her ears as a grating sound reverberated. He sighed. It was important, he supposed.

"The greenie, she has a…fear…of loud sounds. Like the Doors opening and closing, and maybe even the Box alarm next time a greenie comes," Gally shrugged uncertainly, not knowing how to tell them. "I think it's trauma from being sent up the Box, I'm not sure, but, um, just-" he scowled at his stammer before huffing. "Just don't leave her alone when the Doors are about to close, okay?"

Newt looked to Alby as they both shared a vague look. Newt then slowly nodded, and Gally quickly took the opportunity to leave so no questions were exchanged. Unfortunately, Newt was fast.

With a sly smile breaking out on his face, he asked, "Sure ya ain't starting to care, Gal?"

All he received back was a glare from the Builder.

* * *

Gally saw her as soon as he stepped out of the Homestead. He strode over to her place at her hammock, contemplating on how to break it to her that she was assigned to a new babysitter.

He was aware of her concern in being around other people—it took her two full days after the incident for her to actually warm up to him and talk _normally_. But Newt? He'd barely been in the Glade. The greenie didn't know him.

As he neared, his eyes zoomed in to a Glader standing by her, sheepishly trying to carry a conversation. Gally watched with amusement as the greenie only nodded and gave uneasy smiles to the boy as he talked and talked and talked and Gally knew she wasn't a big fan of chatter.

He supposed it was time to save her.

Walking over to his hammock, he rapidly caught her attention, seeing as how she sent him a forced smile that screamed ' _help, please'_ , because even physically, she was polite.

Gally buried his amusement and went to stand beside her hammock to greet the Glader. "Hey, Mick."

The Glader— _Mick_ —blinked in nervousness as Gally addressed him. His comfortable posture tensed up slightly, making the Keeper smirk. "Oh. H-hey, Gally."

He then nodded to the girl. "Greenie."

"Gally," she replied, her voice almost showcasing her relief. "I have a name."

 _He knew that. Ada_. "Yeah. It's greenie and will stay as greenie until the next one arrives."

"That's a month from now."

"Better not let it grow on you, then," he replied to her—and was that a _pout_? He wasn't sure. It looked like it. Pouting is when people jut out their lips, right? _So she can pout, now?_ Gally found it absolutely ridiculous.

"Oh, where'd you disappear to?" she asked then. "A few Builders were looking for you after dinner but…I didn't know where you were."

Her voice was still soft, but not _hushed_ anymore. Based on the surprised expression on the Glader—who had yet to leave—he also suspected she talked more around him only rather than the others. Her question then registered and he frowned.

He forgot to tell her. _What a great babysitter._

"Had a meet up with Newt. Did you come back here after dinner?"

"Well, I-I waited at the table in case you were coming back," she said with an uncertain smile. "But the Sloppers told me to leave because they wanted to clean so…I came here."

Huh. Gally refused to feel guilty.

"You need to learn to stand up for yourself," was all he said.

The greenie nodded, as if she wasn't even listening and quickly asked, "So, um, any news?"

Gally's face contorted into confusion for a second at her question before recognizing what she was doing. Wholly turned toward him, he could see that she was trying to discount the other Glader—Mick, _who_ , Gally realized, _was still there_.

"Yeah, actually, I got news."

"Hm?"

Gally raised his eyes at the Glader who _still was not budging_. " _Private_ news."

Mick blinked before letting out a disappointed, "Oh, uh, yeah," he murmured, already backing away with a pathetic wave to the greenie. "See ya, Ada."

 _Ada_ gave a fleeting wave back to his retreating back, a guilty look on her face. When she turned back to Gally, though, her expression brightened; with another one of her wide smiles that he did _not_ appreciate.

She always had that smile on. Always gave that smile to him.

He wished she'd stop.

"Thank you," she breathed out. "Oh, I feel so guilty but he talked so much-"

"You're getting a new babysitter tomorrow."

She froze, her smile dropping and her eyes widening. Her head tilted sideways as she stared at him in—he didn't know what it was.

"A new…babysitter?" Her voice was a pitch higher than normal.

"Yeah. Newt. The blond British shank you met on your first day with Alby?"

Her expression crumpled into a mixture of disappointment, fear, sadness, and it took Gally a reminder that he _did_ ask for the change to refrain from assuring her. All the traces of happiness from a second ago was completely gone, replaced with a kicked puppy look.

Gally didn't understand what was so bad. Compared to the others, he supposed the greenie could deal with Newt. It wasn't as if he was banishing her or something.

Despite the fact that she looked like she'd been told just that.

She looked down, her face troubled, before looking back at Gally. "But…why?"

He didn't know how to answer that without explaining him actually requesting it a few days ago. Gally shrugged. "You got job tryouts."

"But I have a job."

"Not really," Gally said. "That was temporary."

The greenie frowned deeply—deepest he's ever seen on her since she came here—and struggled to form a sentence. When she spoke, her voice sounded both creaky and bleak, an edge of desperation ringing. "But…but I already do that with you."

Sighing, Gally dragged a hand down his face. "Look, greenie-"

He cut himself off, not knowing what to say. _He was supposed to feel happy, not bad._ But there she was, looking as betrayed as ever, and a part of him somehow felt terrible because he knew about her hesitance with new people.

"I have a job. I'm a Keeper," he started. "And it's hard to build things and keep an eye on ya to make sure you're okay at the same time. Gladers do things _on their own_ in the Glade and that's what Newt's gonna teach ya. I'm busy enough without havin' to check up you, greenie. Sooner or later, you're gonna have to do things by yourself."

She listened to him silently and once he was done, her mouth opened to retort. The worry still displayed in her eyes was clear as day, and after a few minutes of gaping, she bit her lips and swallowed her question back down.

"What?"

"Nothing," she answered, her eyes flittering to the ground as she settled herself into her hammock. Turning away from him. "Um, thanks for being my babysitter until now, then."

Gally, not knowing what to reply to that without sounding like a jerk, nodded and shrugged with a "yeah, ok." He stared at her back for a minute before exhaling heavily and walking over to his bunk for sleep.

He was annoyed. Not sure by what, but he was just annoyed. Maybe it was her, maybe it wasn't—heck, maybe it was the idea that Newt would be her new friend tomorrow. He came to the decision that the entire situation was annoying.

 _At least tomorrow, everything will go back to normal._

* * *

It didn't go back to normal.

At least, not what Gally regarded as normal. Something was missing.

He had woken expecting to see the greenie turning to him while the Doors were opening—like the past few days had went—but she hadn't. She stayed still in her hammock, shaking, and when Gally asked if she was fine, she only replied with a timid "okay," and fled to the bathrooms.

He barely saw her for the rest of the day, afterwards. Newt had quickly snatched her away during breakfast before he had a chance to meet up. At the Builders' site, he had found himself habitually checking her station, only to remember that she wasn't under his wing anymore.

 _She had officially shucked up his routine._

Gally had the feeling she was maybe avoiding him when he saw her hastily leaving the dining area when he came for lunch.

Why? He had no clue.

He wouldn't admit to searching for her—because he really _didn't_ —after the day ended, but he did find himself taking extra strolls to the Blood House and Gardens. She was nowhere to be found.

By the time dinner rolled around, he was in a cranky mood. His Builders said so, and the fact that he made two younger Gladers cry proved it.

But he found her at dinner. Sitting at a table that was _not_ their usual and _alone_.

Extremely confused, Gally carried his food to the far table she was at, ignoring the questions from his fellow Keepers and Builders. She was slumping over her food, her chin propped up in one palm as the other stirred her food unenthusiastically. A slight frown marred her face.

"Greenie," he said, catching her by surprise as he sat opposite her.

The greenie looked at him for a moment, puzzlement displayed, before going back to her food. "Hmm?"

Gally pursed his lips, unsure of what to say, before whispering, "Why are you sitting here?"

A frown was what he received in response. "Why are _you_ sitting here?"

His brows scrunched together. _Okay_. His head tilted quizzically at her tone. Hostility on her—no matter how minute—was definitely a new thing. It wasn't necessarily bad, just new.

"Wow, a day with Newt and you're Minho now."

"I'm not Minho, _that's_ Minho," she replied coldly, nodding to her side to where Minho was loudly sassing another Runner for stealing some of his food. _All right, he was very different from her._

"Well, aren't you're in a mood," Gally muttered. "Newt sent you to the Slicers first or what?"

She sent him an irate look—which threw him off for sure—and went back to swirling her food quietly.

When the silence ensued for more than a few minutes, Gally narrowed his eyes at her. Ignorance was not something she did. " _Greenie_."

" _What_?"

Her furious whisper and the _clink_ of her fork hitting her plate made Gally sit back up straighter, a calculative look in his eyes. The slight resentment flashing in her eyes were fresh and despite her obvious displeasure being sent his way, he found it somewhat amusing.

"What's got you all snappy?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing of your concern."

He was about to reply that it was his concern since he was her _babysitter_ , but realized that he technically _wasn't_ anymore. He frowned. "Why are you sitting here?"

Pressing her lips together, she sent him a reproachful look. Gally exhaled with force and dragged a hand down his face in exasperation.

"Come on. I'm tryna be nice here, greenie," he said lowly. "You normally eat with us. What's with the sudden change?"

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before they softened, her posture loosing all tenseness with a small sigh. "I just…I'm trying to be…i-independent, I guess."

"Independent?"

Something in his tone had her defending her actions. "That's what you told me yesterday. I have to…do things by myself."

Gally's frown resurfaced. "I didn't mean _this_."

"Then what _did_ you mean?"

"I meant doing things like socializing and getting to know _the right people_ with Newt." He explained. "You've been around me for the past week. I'm not that great at making friends with shanks. _Newt_ is."

She scrutinized him, eyes wary and back to their uncertain nature. "I was doing fine."

"Were you?"

She frowned, not answering. Gally took a deep breath, releasing a few words he hadn't thoughtfully filtered.

"Sitting here, all alone, is not the way to be independent, greenie. Honestly, you come off shuckin' arrogant. And unfriendly."

Her eyes instantly hardened back, a fiery glint in them aimed toward Gally. He didn't stop, however, believing she needed to hear the words. "And eating here, at this table, alone, with other Gladers scared of coming near you? You almost look _pitiful_."

"They're scared of me because of _you_."

It occurred to Gally that perhaps that problem _was_ because of him—mainly, his threats to Jack on that first day—but he didn't stop. Something about her showing an emotion that wasn't shyness or glee was somewhat of an astonishing fact.

And she needed the push, of course.

"We're supposed to be a community in here. We all work together, live together, and help each other. It's been days since you came up. You can't name five Gladers who you talk to on a daily basis. Why? Because your _actions_ …they make you appear standoffish."

" _Oh, you're one to talk_ ," she whispered heatedly, fighting his glare with one of her own.

Her lips were pressed into a thin line, angry words threatening to spill out. His been there numerous times and curiosity got the better of him—he was annoyed and he wanted to see what she had, what she was going to retort with. _What made her_ _tick_.

He held his side firmly, narrowing his eyes further as he waited for her to continue speaking. "Somethin' ta say, greenie?"

Provocation normally worked amazingly every time he tried to rile other Gladers. He could see it reaching her as well, but before anything actually transcended, a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Her shoulders slumped back down, her eyes dimming once again as she broke the glare to stare at her food.

"Look, just…" she closed her eyes, inhaled, and picked at her food. "Just leave me alone."

The words didn't hurt, no—it just took him aback.

When he didn't budge, she shook her head and frowned at him—not with anger, yet also not with serenity. "You should go back to your seat, Gally. Your friends are looking."

He scowled, keeping a firm glower on her as she returned to stirring her food and not acknowledging him. She looked precisely defeated. Gally was both perplexed and irritated. And maybe slightly disappointed.

"You're just gonna stay here?"

He couldn't read her face as she answered with a gentle, "yes."

Gally shook his head, staring at her head in bafflement and irritation. He didn't realize his death grip on his bowl.

Nothing was his fault. _He's the one trying to be nice for once, yet she just gets angry and tells him to leave her alone? When_ she _had been the clingy one for the past few days?_ _What had he even done_? He was thoroughly thrown. And annoyed. And mad.

So Gally sat up noisily, taking his food with him as he stormed back to his usual seat.

* * *

Back in the present, Thomas was sure that even before the girl greenie, Gally had _always_ been a temperamental one. He refrained from voicing out his opinions, knowing Newt would only reprimand him again.

"I know what you're thinking. Stop."

Thomas rolled his eyes. _I really need to get my facial expressions under control._

A guilty look crossed Newt's face when he opened his mouth to continue the next part of the story, attracting Thomas' attention all over again.

* * *

It was weird going to sleep and waking up next to her hammock after that.

The day after that dinner, ignorance had come from both sides. Gally hadn't approached her despite seeing her around a few times, and it was likewise from her—but every time the Doors would close, he'd find his eyes flittering around for Newt to make sure he was doing his job.

Gally truly had thought that passing her over to another Glader would be rewarding, but it didn't feel like it, much to his frustrations.

The day _after that_ was when drama actually wreaked.

After he had retired from work for the evening and walked over to the dining area, he had seen Newt talking to Alby and a few other Gladers.

It took him half a second to realize who was missing.

Something quickly tugged in his chest when he realized that the greenie wasn't there with the blond boy. His eyes scanned the area, but she was nowhere to be found. His eyes darted to his watch in something akin to dread before he jogged over to them.

Newt _wasn't with her_ and the Doors were about to _close_.

"Newt."

The boy looked surprised at his haste. "Hm?"

"Where's Ada?"

"What?"

"The _greenie_ , Newt," Gally said through his teeth. "Where is she?"

"She…" Newt stared at him, confounded. "I don't know. Last I saw her was at the hammocks after the last tryout. Why?"

"You're shucking kiddin' me," Gally hissed in disbelief and fury. Newt only blinked. "You _forgot_?"

"Wait, wha-"

" _The Doors, Newt_!" he snapped, motioning to the walls. "Have you checked the time?"

Newt's puzzled face gradually twisted into one of horror as he inspected his watch. A silent mutter of, "oh, shuck," escaped him. His eyes flashed back to Gally, wide with penitence. "Gal, I-"

Gally didn't stick around to hear him. He swiftly ran in the direction of the hammocks, hoping she'd be where she usually was at the time. As he got closer his chest constricted in panic—he'll freely admit it—because the hammocks were empty.

She wasn't there.

 _BOOM_

The Doors from each wall creaked with a cringing grate as they started to move to their corresponding other, their rumble making Gally curse as he raced to search for her frantically.

He passed by the field, seeing nothing but cropped hair and no trace of long dark locks anywhere. After a quick run through the Blood House and Gardens, Gally paused outside the Deadheads, his forehead lined in distressed and perplexity. She wouldn't go into the Deadheads, would she? Not when she knew the Doors might be closing.

Would she really?

A soft sob stopped him in his steps, just as he was about to make a run in, and his head snapped to the bathrooms. He couldn't see anyone inside, but as he got closer, harsh breathing registered in his ear.

Abrupt silence hung after the thunderous shut of the Doors as he rounded the bathrooms to see.

There she was, hunched and shaking on the ground, head buried in her knees and her ears covered by her arms. The Doors shutting must've caught her off guard, judging by how she was pressing herself back against the rough bricks.

"Greenie, what the shuck," he whispered, not angrily, and crouched in front of her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently steadying her.

Mute sniffs escaped her as her head lifted ever so slightly to see him. Her eyes were stricken with fear and terror. Her shaking was starting to subside as her eyes darted to the shut Doors but her hands proceeded to curl themselves in her hair.

Gally took a deep breath, slowly wrapping his hands around her wrists and pulling them away from her ears.

"Hey. Just breathe, greenie," he said quietly. "It's done. The Doors are closed, okay? It's over."

She nodded jerkily, her breaths coming out less labored but still choked. She muttered something he couldn't hear.

Gally let her calm herself down, keeping a firm hold on her shoulders and mumbling words as it went by. As soon as her breathing came back to normal and her shaking stopped, he asked, "You okay, now?"

"Fine," she croaked out before clearing her throat. "I'm fine."

She wiped her tear tracks away, not meeting his eyes. He observed her for a second before letting go of her shoulders, falling back to sit on the ground as silence draped over them.

The greenie settled back with her legs folded, rubbing circles into her palms before finally looking at him. He stared back.

For a solid minute, they just stared at each other, not a word exchanged.

"Thank you," she said softly, breaking the quiet.

Gally shrugged, unsure of what to say back because he truly hadn't planned on talking to her—at least, not yet.

The greenie let the peace go on for a bit before asking, "How did you find me?"

"I saw Newt just now," he replied and shrugged. "You were nowhere to be seen and the Doors were a minute away from closing."

She nodded, her mouth not opening to say anything else as the quiet spread over once more. Gally didn't know where to go from there. His mind was blank after their— _fight? Was it a fight_?—two days before. He felt awkward.

Once again, the greenie broke the silence.

"I'm…" she bit her lips, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry for that day…at dinner."

His answer was immediate. "It's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Newt probably put you in a bad mood. He does that sometimes."

The side of her lips twitched. "It wasn't…okay, maybe."

Gally let a slight smirk appear. "He's shuckin' annoying, isn't he?"

"No, just-he's just expressive."

The small smile on her lips said otherwise. Gally rolled his shoulders. "Alright. I'm agreeing to blame everything on Newt."

The greenie smiled, a light giggle threatening to escape at his accusation. Gally's lips curled into a sort of smile as well when the wariness completely filtered out of her eyes.

"But why _were_ you sitting there?" he asked and her smile drop instantly. He cursed his inability at sensitivity. "I mean, you had a place. You normally eat with the Builders," He shrugged, scratching his neck and biting back a ' _with me'_ from that sentence. "I'm curious."

The greenie's eyebrows knitted as she chewed on her lip nervously. "I…I really was trying to be independent. Just not in the right way, apparently."

"And the avoiding?"

He ran a stern eye over her as she tensed up defensively.

"I saw you at lunch. And then you ran."

"That…wasn't because of you. I-I was late for my tryout." Gally's face clearly showcased his belief. Which was none. The greenie sighed in defeat, folding her knees up to her chest. "Okay, okay…I-you weren't my babysitter anymore."

* * *

"I gotta ask-"

" _Tommy_ -"

"No, wait. They really use that term? _Babysitter_? I thought that was a joke. Why not something more formal? Like caretaker?" At Newt's bland expression, he relented. "Fine, go on. Sorry."

* * *

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Nothing, I just…" the greenie trailed of miserably, looking lost for words. "You weren't my babysitter anymore. I thought-I thought maybe I couldn't sit with you."

Gally frowned. "Why'd you think that?"

She gave him a raised eyebrow. "You watched over me because it was your job. That's the reason I was at the Builders' site, the reason I ate with you. You had to watch me." She gave an uncertain shrug. "When you said I had to learn to do things by myself, I thought that meant, you know, eating and everything. And…"

When she didn't continue, Gally prodded, "What?"

The greenie gave him pleading eyes, not wanting to continue, but Gally's unyielding stare was unable to put down. She huffed lightly.

"Fine. I thought you didn't want to be my babysitter because you were tired of me."

"Tired of you?"

"Annoyed. I don't know," she mumbled, pulling at the grass and not meeting his eyes. "I realized that I was always around you. Too much, maybe. I-I didn't want to appear too dependent. I'm not a child, I know."

"I wasn't mad at you…just annoyed at myself. And with tryouts and Newt being so…talkative…it just wasn't the best day," she finished glumly.

Gally stared at her, bewildered, before he scoffed. "I had a job. It's done. Doesn't mean I'm tired of you."

At her blank expression, he shrugged—he did that _a lot_ he realized—and said, "You're were annoying for the first two days, yeah,"—she sent him a playful glare at that, inducing a smirk—"but you're _okay_ , greenie. Really. I don't mind having you around."

A pensive look washed across her face. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent. I'm kinda used to you around, now. You're like-"

"-a friend?"

Her expectant tone had him cut short. Gally shrugged.

"I'm not good at friends," he confessed.

"I'm not, too," she said softly. "If you haven't realized. I lack social skills."

Gally rolled his eyes. She was gradually getting sassy. "I guess that's something we have in common."

The greenie nodded and stood up, dusted herself off, and held a hand out for him to take. Gally stared at it before shaking his head and grabbing it. She was evidently way below him in the strength department, so he really pulled himself up, but it felt nice.

"So, does this mean," a small, hopeful curve tugged at her lips. "I can still eat at your table?"

Gally surprised himself with a laugh. He does not _laugh_ —at least not genuinely—he only snickers and laughs at other people's misfortunes, but he couldn't help it then.

"Yes, greenie." He shook his head, amused. "You can sit at my table."

Her brilliant smile stared back up at him—beaming and somehow making his surroundings a tiny bit brighter than it used to be. Just a tiny bit.

"And I can maybe, maybe…visit the Builders' site sometimes even if I don't work there?"

"If you want to."

She nodded, letting out an abrupt laugh that he couldn't help but return. Her hand rose in the air, and after an uncertain pause, she patted his shoulder. Gally would say the action was definitely awkward for a second, but her unmoving grin was too overpowering to care.

"Great," she said, back to her soft voice. "That's good."

"Okay." He didn't know what else to say.

The greenie did. "You know, I think we're going to ace this friendship thing," she declared buoyantly. "Come on, dinner's starting."

When she tugged his sleeves in the direction of the Kitchens, Gally gladly let her.

They didn't realize, but from the other side of the bathrooms, a blond runner surveyed the entire scene with a indistinct smile.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites and follows! I'm done with the first part of my exam, thank god, so I'll try for frequent updates. And I'm sorry if things feel slow, I can't help but build their relationship gradually. I'm really bad at fast paced things. I hope it was okay!**

 **Thank you for reading! :D**


	4. Ready

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner**

* * *

" _Hold, hold on, hold onto me,_

' _Cause I'm a little unsteady,_

 _A little unsteady,_

 _Hold, hold on, hold onto me,_

' _Cause I'm a little unsteady,_

 _A little unsteady,"_

 _-Unsteady by X Ambassadors-_

* * *

A Story Never Told

Chapter 4: Ready

Being friends with the greenie wasn't all that bad.

After her few days of job tryouts, Newt was finally ready to get back to running and she was assigned to Zart as a track-hoe. Their previous routine fell back into place, and if she was trying to control her proximity around Gally like she said, she sure was doing a bad job.

Not that Gally was complaining. He didn't remember ever feeling so at ease in the Glade.

Aside from the work hours in the Glade, every other waking minute Gally had was spent with her. Even after making friends with the other track-hoes, she still never hung out or spent a meal with the other Gladers aside from Newt—at least not whenever Gally was around. But like he said, he wasn't complaining.

"So what's the ratio of kids to teenagers in here?"

Gally furrowed his brows, pausing in his chewing. "Why?"

"Because I'm wondering if a mutiny could take place." At Gally's blank stare, she continued, "What? All the tiny ones in here are pushed around by the teens."

"We don't push them around."

The greenie casted a pointed look at him. "The _entire_ _group_ of Sloppers are children."

Gally looked to the far side of the dining area, seeing a table full of dirty, short, round-faced shanks laughing and making faces at each other. "They're the least capable. Besides, they seem weirdly happy."

She hummed approvingly, taking a bite of her toast. "But if there _was_ a mutiny-"

"There won't be."

" _If_ there was," she pressed, smiling leisurely. "And they won-"

Gally snorted. "Really, greenie-"

"-who do you think will replace them as Sloppers?"

Gally sighed, taking a look at the table of tiny mischief makers before going back to her. "Do you have a point with this, greenie?"

"No, I'm just bored."

"You're eating."

"And bored. You're boring me."

A huff escaped him. A few days of being friends had apparently entitled her to talk to no one and instead talk his ear off. She's grown brazen too—god knows where _that_ came from. However, he wasn't as malicious to her anymore—he was used to it by now.

"If there _were_ a mutiny and the Sloppers were all gone, those poorest at their jobs will replace them." He took in her clean attire before smirking. "And right now, you seem like the worst track-hoe."

"What? Why?"

He motioned to her clothes. "You don't have a speck of dirt on you. Look at the other track-hoes. All of them are filthy."

The greenie took a long look down at her garments before sniffing. "I am a great track-hoe, thank you very much. I just like to keep myself neat, unlike them."

Gally shook his head, but he felt a lazy smile tugging at his lips.

Their little talks about nothing had started out of the blue but he often found himself amused by them. Her incessant talking didn't bother him a bit, surprisingly. Gally was about to say something when a bouncy, lanky figure appeared out of the corner of his eyes.

Remember the part about her still not hanging out with anyone else except him and Newt? Well, _one_ Glader was somewhat an exception.

"Hey, guys!" the young boy greeted cheerily, sitting down next to her. "Hi, Ada! Frypan had leftover raisin loaf. Want some?"

The greenie giggled, accepting a loaf already handed out to her. "I'd love some. Thank you, Steve."

 _Steve_.

Out of everyone in the Glade, it had to be the annoying little shuck that was partnered with Ada for her track-hoe duties. Also, apparently, his exuberant spirit didn't _repel_ Ada anymore, oh no. It _grew_ on her.

Not that Gally had anything against the kid. He just didn't know why the greenie would give into Steve's chatter and his obvious adoration. _The kid was obsessed_ , Gally concluded. It didn't matter that his spot as a track-hoe was a complete coincidence.

"Gally?" her voice snapped him out of his stupor. He blinked, his eyes focusing once again on the nervous, boyish face in his sight.

"Uh, you want some, too?" Steve asked.

Gally stared emptily at the boy for a few more seconds before reaching out for a loaf. Steve smiled, bright and brilliant. Gally wanted to roll his eyes and look away, but the greenie's clearing of the throat made him pause. She raised an eyebrow and he groaned internally.

Grudgingly, he bit out a "thanks" to the kid.

The greenie grinned at him, and Gally's annoyance evaporated—just slightly. It didn't stop him from glowering at the young Glader when she shifted her attention to him, however.

If Gally were paying attention—which he wasn't—he would have realized a few of the Gladers staring at the scene, whispering amongst themselves.

* * *

"Wait, this Steve kid," Thomas said back in the forest. "Is he still in the Glade?"

Newt's head rolled into his hands in exasperation, hiding any response Thomas curiously coveted to see. "I'm not answering anything anymore, Tommy. You want to know, you listen."

Another question came to the said boy's mind, but Newt's narrowed eyes made him shut his mouth.

* * *

The Builders' site wasn't really a far distance from the Gardens but it _was_ on the opposite side of the Glade. Gally always found himself walking with her to her workplace before making his way to his, though.

He didn't have a reason why it went that way—it was just a part of their new routine. It didn't trouble him whatsoever.

"So you're the intimidating one in the glade, huh?" the greenie piped as they walked, an eyebrow raised teasingly.

Gally turned his attention from her to the few glances from the Gladers in their path. He had always been used to the stares—before she arrived even. He had quite the reputation for being a temperamental shank, often getting into fights here and there. The stares and opinions never bothered him.

He supposed the stares _now_ were because of the greenie, and more so the question of why she hung out around _him_.

She was a tiny, timid-at-first, lighthearted girl and he was a hotheaded shuck. Gally himself wasn't sure how he hadn't driven her to run away.

"How do you know they're all not scared of you?" he retorted lazily.

"Because I'm not the big, brawny, broody boy with the threatening face." She smiled plainly. "And you glare at anyone who even looks at you."

"I don't," he scoffed, and she turned her head to meet his eyes. He felt his eyes narrow subliminally.

"There it is."

Gally blew out a huff, crossing his arms as they continued to walk. The greenie giggled, merrily strolling in front of him to the gardens.

When they reached their destination, Gally surveyed the crops and the tree grove beyond it. A few Gladers were attending to the crops that were in season, some were planting more seeds in empty trenches and some were cutting the cluttered edges of a few plants.

The greenie smiled at him, broad and stunning. "See you at lunch."

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ears and skipped to the rows of tomato plants, and Gally watched as she went, lost in thought. By the time he whirled away in destination of the Builder's site, he heard a familiar voice shout.

"Not that, greenie. Shuck, can't you remember which you used? That's mine."

Gally's eyebrows furrowed, retracing his steps back to where he left the greenie. She was crouched by a box of equipment, a rare expression of annoyance on her face as she put back a tiny shear. Behind the box, sitting with his leg folded and carving insipidly into a chopped tree trunk, was Pete.

The boy who pestered the greenie in the forest her second day. And she just _had_ to acquire a job with the said troublemaker.

Steve honestly was nothing bad compared to the lanky kid in front of him.

"Pete," he said, taking satisfaction when the boy jumped at being called. "What are you doing?"

Pete stared at him bewilderedly before frowning. "Working, obviously."

"On what?"

"This…tree."

Gally regarded the tree stump with boredom. "I see the carvings, yeah."

"Why don't you get to where the Builders are, huh?" the boy quipped back, standing up in irritation and brushing his pants off. He dug for a random tool from the box, making a show of glowering at Gally.

The Keeper took a deep breath, remaining calm with the greenie's wary eyes shooting back and forth between them. "Get to work."

"I'll get to work when I get to work, shuck-face," the last part was whispered, but Gally's ears caught them clearly.

Eyes narrowing dangerously, he approached the younger Glader. "What was that, slinthead?"

"Gally," the greenie interfered, shaking her head at him.

Her eyes pleaded with him to leave the situation alone and he felt his shoulders slacken. He blew out a long-suffering exhale, remembering that she was not quite knowledgeable about his weekly fights.

Gally's eyebrows knitted. If she did know, who knew what she'd do. Ignore him, fear him, stay out of his way—all which have been done by actual Gladers after witnessing his fights. And her?

The greenie continued after awhile, softly. "Just go. He's not worth an argument."

" _You_ slim it, greenie," Pete snapped at her, instantly riling Gally back up.

"Hey, back off." Gally said heatedly to the boy.

"Oi!" Abruptly, Zart appeared, looking between the three of them pointedly. "Slim it, shanks. What the shuck is goin' on?"

Pete glared at Gally, the latter returning it in full force.

"It's nothing, Zart," the greenie replied for them all. The boys only continued exchanging their cutting gazes. The greenie breathed out an exasperated sigh, later turning away from the scene to prune a few plants, little Steve readily handing her a clipper.

"I'm just going," Gally mumbled to Zart, turning around, before halting and calling back to the other Glader. "Hey, Pete." He tossed an empty bucket to the boy when his head whipped. "Go get more fertilizer."

"What?" the boy scowled, his tone straining to remain composed because of Zart's presence. "Why me? The greenie-"

"Is pruning the trees. And everyone else seems to have their own job but you, so."

The boy bristled, his scowl deepening as he gripped the bucket tightly. He was about to protest another time before Zart yipped, "Just go, Pete. We've run out, anyways."

Pete gaped in disbelief and anger. Then, he snapped his mouth shut, giving Gally a scathing glare before stomping away into the forest, the bucket swinging roughly at his side.

"Now, _you_ should get to your station, Gal," Zart sighed. "I don't need a fight happening here."

"Yeah, I'm goin'," Gally huffed, taking a few steps away from the gardens before saying, "Just keep an eye on that kid. Everyone but him was working when I came."

Zart gave him a sharp look but nodded, and Gally exchanged brief looks with the greenie before leaving to the Builders' site.

* * *

Gally had gotten over the chaos he and Pete had went through that morning by the time lunch hour came rolling. He was finishing up measuring his last piece of plank when he heard it—the sound of furiousness, shame, madness and frustration.

"He's been too shucking comfortable the past few days, don't you think?"

"Forget it, Pete!"

"Nah, he's not getting away with it."

" _Pete_!"

"S'about time the greenie saw his true colors, eh?"

"Leave it alone-"

"Shut up!"

The footsteps and voices progressively increasing in volume made Gally sigh. He supposed his few days of peace couldn't last forever. Turning around, Gally spotted the said Glader, the mean glint in his eyes noticeably searching for trouble.

No doubt to get back at him for the that morning.

"Hey, Gally," the younger Glader appeared composed enough, casually leaning against a stack of wood whilst his friends lingered behind him, nervousness coloring their expressions.

Gally set his work down in annoyance. "What do you want, Pete?"

"Just a conversation," he shrugged.

"If this is about this morning, forget it. I'm not looking for a fight."

Pete gave a concise nod and Gally went back to measuring boards. It was silent before-

"She's really got you good, huh?" Gally's furrowed eyebrows made Pete scoff. "The greenie. Don't you get tired of pretending you're a saint around her?" The younger Glader snickered at the flexing of Gally's jaw. "What? It's true. Isn't it, guys?"

The couple of boys behind Pete shared worried looks. "Pete, come on. Let it go-"

"No." A simple word made them halt in their speech. Pete stepped closer with an ugly smirk. "Why is it that you think you're so much better than the rest of us? What makes _you_ so special that you can just order us around?"

"I'm a Keeper-"

Another step forward, Pete sneered, "You're nothing but a shucking bully."

Gally took deep breaths, a mantra in his mind keeping him from pushing the boy back.

"You don't deserve to be a Keeper," Pete continued, seemingly purposeful in his attempt to anger Gally. "You do nothing but fight people all the time. You order us around like we're your slaves, pushing us around and threatening us—who the shuck are you to do that, huh?"

Gally gritted his teeth but didn't respond for a moment, calming himself down by thinking of what the greenie might think of him in case he showcased his aggression openly. "Go away, Pete."

"No."

And when Pete's hand dared slam on the board he was measuring, Gally snapped.

"What the hell is your problem?" Gally growled, shoving the boy back forcefully. A few Gladers, including Gally's builders, started to flood the scene.

The younger boy only smirked and regained his footing. "Why, I just wanted to know if that temperamental shank was still in there. Nice to see he is."

"Well, now that you know, why don't you get out of here?" Gally growled, patiently waiting for the kid to walk away. His fists were clenched by his sides, and taking notice, Pete smiled.

He stood there, a defiant glower on his face. He took another step nearer to the Keeper, sneering out in Gally's face, "What are you gonna do if I don't?"

* * *

"Right. So, since it's my last day as your babysitter, I'll need to know if you'll be fine in the Glade now."

Newt and Ada were walking toward the Builders' site to catch Gally, a routine that fell into place after he had forgotten about her trouble with the Doors. Gally had given Newt a stern talking to, which was quite surprising _and_ amusing at the same time.

"Newt, I'm not a kid," Ada replied, driving Newt to send her a pointed look. She smiled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe the _first week_ I was, but I'm okay now. Really."

"You sure 'bout that?"

After the incident, Newt had taken better measures to make sure Ada was his prime attention at all times—unless she was with Gally—and he supposed all the time spent together improved her comfort around him.

Because she was _only_ fully lively around Gally—and that Steve kid at times—but Newt was getting there, slowly. She was a sweet thing too, and Newt found himself growing fond of the girl.

"I can take care of myself now." Ada nodded at him. "I promise. Besides, I've got Gally to hang around and help with the Doors,"—she subsequently flipped her hair at him, seeming _quite intentional_ —"unlike that one shank who _forgot_."

"Bloody hell, I forgot once! One time!" Newt cried, receiving Ada's laugh in return. "You both are never letting that go, are you?"

"How can I let go the fact that you _forgot about me_?" she shakes her head playfully. "You'll always need proof that you're bad at your job and I'm there to-" She paused all of a sudden and frowned. "Newt."

He raised his brows in confusion before lifting his head, catching sight of the Builders' site not a few feet away from them. Everything was in order, nothing out of place, except the young Glader who was definitely _not_ a Builder currently spouting words unheard to a livid looking Gally.

And Newt's _seen_ the exact view countless times. He knew, he _knew_ and he had to stop Gally from—

Hard shoves were exchanged by the two boys and Gally swiftly threw a punch to the younger Glader.

Ada gasped from his side, and Newt managed a quick "Wait here!" before running toward the two scuffling boys, along with a few other Builders and Gladers nearby. "Gally!"

Gally was then on top of the other boy—Pete, he recognized as he neared—and was excessively launching blows to the latter's face.

"Gally-Gal, stop it!" Hands pulled him away, some wrapping around his arms and some around his chest. Newt stood in front of the Keeper, a cautious hand on the boy's front keeping him back.

Gally staggered a few steps, not fighting the forces restraining him, but his incensed gaze was still trained on the younger Glader bleeding on the ground before him. Breathing raggedly, he yanked his arms out of the Gladers' grips.

Suddenly, his head sharply shot to his left, and following his stare, Newt saw Ada where he had left her—her stature frozen, mouth open in disbelief and shock, her feet taking a few steps away from the earlier violence.

And then she turned her back and ran.

Newt's eyes gravitated to Gally once more, taking in the anger slowly fading from his face, leaving behind something he couldn't comprehend. His eyes clouded over with—Newt couldn't read it. But as quickly as it rose, it vanished, leaving a detached, stony expression behind.

Newt took hold of his shoulder. "Gally-"

"Get off," the Keeper snapped, wrenching his hand away. He stared once again at the spot where Ada had stood earlier and frowned.

Understanding dawning, Newt spoke, "Look, calm down. I'll get her and-"

"Shut up, Newt!" he growled. "Just slim yourself. I don't need your help."

Then, his eyes darted to a wounded Pete, propped by a few boys and moaning in pain. " _You_ ," he snarled, propelling a few Gladers to warily approach him in case he attacked again. He ignored them and poked Pete's chest harshly, making the boy yelp at the sting. " _Stay the hell away from me_. Or I'll give you more than just a broken nose next time."

Pete fell a few steps away from Gally, his head trying to stay up in defiance, but everyone could see the fear glimmering in his eyes—and that was satisfying enough for Gally given that he whirled and stomped away.

"Wait-Gally!"

"Let him go," Newt said, raising a hand at the one of Gally's Builders. He watched the back of the Keeper disappear into the forest. "I reckon he needs to let off some steam."

"What about Pete?"

"What _about_ me?" the boy in question choked out.

"Yeah, what about him?" Newt asked, eyebrows raised.

The builder sent a dirty look to the kid. "He _started_ it. Came over and provoked Gally for no reason at all. M'not surprised the shank beat him up."

"I didn't!"

"Slim it."

Newt turned to the few younger Gladers lingering behind the said boy, which he presumed to be Pete's associates. He didn't have to ask whether the builder's accusation was true. One of the boys nodded, eyes downcast and not meeting Pete's insistent eyes.

"Well, then." Sighing, he approached Pete and scowled in the boy's face. "Get 'im to the med-jacks and Alby. I'll catch up."

He had to find Ada first of all.

* * *

Back in the current forest, Thomas raised his hand. Newt, tired of telling him to quit it, motioned for him to go on.

"Is this gonna be a love triangle thing or…?"

"What?" Newt frowned. "No. No, she's not-it's not like that. She was more like a sister to me, actually."

"Oh, good." That made Newt cock an eyebrow. Thomas sputtered, "I meant, _good_ , like, that's _great_ cause you-Ada and Gally can….wait, is this even a love story?"

Newt only gave him an empty stare.

Thomas nodded. "Right, sorry. Go on."

* * *

Gally had retreated into the forest after the fight. Newt understood, as well as the Gladers who have been around since the start. He usually disappeared into the Deadheads to calm down after fights. Alby had been the first to send him there before; it somewhat stuck afterward.

Typically, he would get into a scuffle once a week or so, but it wasn't as if he fought _for fun_ —he just had a natural temper.

He hasn't been in a fight since the greenie arrived, however.

The Keeper scowled, chucking a twig from his point on a tree branch as he remembered her hands covering her mouth, green eyes wide in surprise and—and he didn't know what else. His eyes had darted away from her, not wanting the opportunity to discern the fear or disgust or anything _relatively close to those_.

He didn't have too, though—she ran.

Away from the violence. Away from him.

Gally didn't normally mind about what people thought of him and his temper. He didn't feel, much less _care_ about other people's views on him—if they wanted to be scared him, wanted to stay out of his way, wanted to avoid him or so—he didn't _care a bit_.

But the image of the greenie running away—from him, _had to be from him_ —somehow made something in his chest twist.

So he stayed cooped up in his tree, tearing leaves and twigs from the branches, until dusk set in.

He would usually return back to the Glade before the Doors closed, but the thought of facing the greenie and seeing her—scared? Intimidated? Upset? Whatever it was—held him back a few hours. He didn't even feel like eating dinner although he had forgone lunch.

By the time the Glade had fallen silent, and the only source of noise came from the Maze-at-night, Gally traveled back to the Glade, hoping the greenie was already asleep.

Just his luck that she wasn't.

He sighed to himself, promptly hiding behind a few boxes by the edge of the forest.

The greenie was sitting on her hammock, her head rotating from side to side as she surveyed her empty surroundings. He'd think she was waiting for him, and knowing her, she would—but Gally didn't want to see her. Didn't want to talk.

He waited, peeked over the boxes occasionally, until he saw her lie in her hammock. He stayed by the boxes for a few more minutes, and then slowly crept to the hammocks, silently passing her to clear his area.

"You're back."

"Shuck, greenie-" Gally jumped, scowling at the sudden voice intrusion. He turned to see her lying on her side, facing him in the dark. "Don't do that."

She smiled, though it didn't fully reach her eyes however. Looking deeper, he really couldn't read anything. Usually, her emotions were out on display for him to acknowledge. _Not so much after the fight, however_ , he thought bitterly. She was looking at him as if she didn't know what to feel. Troubled.

A kind of guilt tugged at his chest—he was obviously the cause of that.

She slowly sat up in her hammock and Gally immediately turned away, not wanting to be absorbed any type of conversation with her. The shame dropped on his shoulders once more, seemingly heavier with her nearer. He didn't want to be there.

"Gally."

He grunted in response, making a show of dusting off his hammock.

"Gally?"

"Hm?"

"You're not talking?" He didn't answer. " _Gally_."

" _What_?"

A light thump hit his back and he turned around to see a small rock on the floor. Frowning, he looked up at her to see her staring him down, a determined expression washing across her face.

Gally sighed, halfway to turning back around, until another thump was felt against his shoulder. Slightly harder that time. " _Ow_ , greenie!"

"Sorry! Oh, I just-will you look at me?" she asked, eyes wide with both concealed indignation and apology—apparently not realizing how strongly she threw the last stone.

"If you throw those stones away, yeah," he hissed, rubbing his shoulder.

The greenie tossed the pebbles behind her. "Done. Now, sit and listen to me."

"You're so bossy, now," Gally muttered, slumping down on his hammock. The greenie didn't reply to his jab, only calmly observed him. Gally sighed, lifting his hands in defeat and shrugging. "Well?"

" _Well_ ," she started. "I tried looking for you after what happened this morning-"

"It was a fight. You can say it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, after the _fight_. I tried looking for you at lunch but you were nowhere. And in the evening, I pretty much asked everyone if they knew where you were. Newt said you were probably in the Deadheads, and I thought, I don't know, that maybe you do need some time alone. But then dinner arrived and you still weren't anywhere to be seen."

"Is there a point to this or are you just telling me your day?" he groaned, rubbing his face. "Cause I honestly don't care about that, greenie."

"The _point_ is that we're supposed to be friends," she snapped. "And friends don't just disappear, Gally. Save for the Deadheads, I searched almost the entire Glade for you. Heck, I even asked the Baggers before the doors-"

"The Doors closed," Gally interrupted, frowning. "How many seconds did you get to today?"

She blinked, taken aback by his sudden question before shaking her head. "T-ten. But that's not important right-"

"Newt was with you?"

" _Yes_. Now, stop changing the subject. Look, I just-" she cut herself off with a miserable sigh, knitting her eyebrows at him. "Is this a normal thing for you? You get into a fight and you disappear the whole day?"

 _He's disappeared before from fights to let off steam but he always made it back before dinner. He wasn't about to tell her that, though._ Gally shrugged and nodded wordlessly.

"Liar. Newt said you've never been gone the whole day."

Gally snapped his head to her, seeing a glare make its way on her face. Dread quickly crawled back up his spine. Her eyes were accusing, piercing him with more and more shame as the moments ticked by. Choosing to cover up his mortification with irritation, Gally scowled before hissing.

"Damnit, greenie. Why are you so persistent about this?"

" _Because_ ," she said before pausing, her expression suddenly falling as she tried finding words. "You…you're my friend. And when you went disappearing the whole day, not eating, nobody knowing what you were doing, all alone…I-I was worried."

Her face softened as she spoke and Gally could feel his face mirroring hers as well. Not letting that happen, he huffed. "I can take care of myself."

"I know that," she scoffed without malice. "It wasn't your physical wellbeing I was worried about."

"Then, what? My emotions?" he drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. When she didn't reply, he sighed. "Shuck, greenie. I just went to let off some steam, okay? Yeah, I stayed out a bit later than expected but so what? It's not a big deal. Give me a break."

He was replied with a raise of an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Mhm."

The greenie stared blankly at him for a few moments before-

"Gally, I saw you peeking behind those boxes," she whispered resignedly. "Why do you think I pretended to fall asleep?"

Gally's eyes met her eyes instantaneously, shocked at being called out. Her eyes trained on him with- _hurt,_ he thought. It made him guiltier. That, and the fact that he was klunk at hiding.

"You don't want to talk to me, do you?"

He didn't answer her.

"I-is it because I ran?"

Groaning, Gally dropped his head into his hands. "It's really nothing, green-"

"It's not nothing if you're avoiding me!"

Gally hissed out a 'shh', sparing a look at the other Gladers to make sure they were all still sound asleep and not eavesdropping. The greenie was frowning at him when he returned, arms cross, her face morphed into something akin to determination, but all he could see was the sadness lying underneath it.

It was insane how he wanted that look gone from her when he wouldn't have bothered caring a week ago.

"I figured, maybe, that'd be enough violence for you," Gally finally sighed. "There, okay?"

Judging by the furrow of her eyebrows, however, it was _not_ okay. And Gally didn't feel like _talking_ about it. Not with her. He felt himself getting annoyed fast.

"I got into a fight _once_. _One_ time. And you already ran," he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. "And I get into fights on a weekly basis around here, greenie. Obviously, you can't take a fight so," he shrugged, making a point of settling into his hammock and turning his back to her.

The silence that came afterward was taut but Gally could just _hear_ the greenie _thinking_.

"Just leave it alone, greenie," he mumbled into the stillness.

"Gally-I-" he heard her exhale into her hands exasperatedly. "I'm _sorry_ , okay? I was…surprised. Really, I didn't mean to run, I just didn't want to be there when…there was the blood and the-the shouting. I didn't-"

Gally wasn't hearing whatever she continued to say, however. He couldn't after her ' _I'm sorry'_ as if she was in the wrong—she _wasn't_. He frowned.

"-run because of you, it was just the scene and," she paused, pursing her lips. "I'm not scared of you, if that's what you think."

"You should be," was his immediate answer.

"No," she said simply.

"You don't know me."

Her eyes filled with hurt and Gally wanted to take his words back instantly. Still, she only inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Don't you think I've heard stories from the others? They talk a lot, you know, and about you? _Nothing_ I've heard is kind," she said solemnly, eyes boring into his. "But _you_ were there for me when I was lost in the woods, _you_ helped me with the Doors, and even when you weren't my babysitter anymore, you put up with me. For three weeks almost, so,"—a disbelieving laugh escapes her lips—" _How bad_ _can you be_?"

Gally wasn't looking at her when he replied. " _Bad_ , greenie."

"Nope. All their stories only mean that they've seen you at your worst but never at your best…but I have," she said firmly. "I have, and I'm ready to see your worst too."

He was silent, mind blank even though his throat was struggling for words. _Ready to see your worst_. It played over in his mind furiously, and his frown deepened. Nobody had ever said that to him. Nobody had ever _dared_ to. Nobody had ever cared enough.

He gathered enough courage to meet her awaiting eyes, and the tiny, hopeful curl of her lips when he did cleared every miserable thought he had.

"If fighting is something you _do_ then...I'll get used to it," she breathed out with a timid smile. "Because you're my friend, Gally, and I'm _not_ scared of you."

Gally stared at her for a solid minute before exhaling heavily, his head falling into his hands just to avoid eye contact. He felt calmer, though, and reasonably soothed. _She wasn't afraid of him_ , meaning she'd still be around. And she definitely _didn't hate him,_ which made him want to… _scream_ , almost.

With joy and relief.

But _that_ might _actually_ scare her away.

"I don't like to fight," he murmured instead.

"What?"

"I don't like fighting," he said a little louder, quite sure that he hadn't told anybody that before. "I just…I don't know. Sometimes I get angry and I don't even know I threw the first punch."

"Oh. Well, then," she blinked before smiling, wider this time. "I'll…help you. Yeah. I'll do that."

Gally snorted. "Help me?"

"Yes," she said simply. "I'll give you your first tip now: Just walk away no matter how much they rile you up."

"Don't you think I've tried that?"

"…walk away while _imagining_ you're beating them up?"

Gally shook his head. "Doesn't work like that, greenie. There's no…satisfaction. It sounds bad but-but that's what it takes. A few hits and I'm not so irritated anymore."

The greenie regarded him in curiosity before nodding to herself. "Okay. Okay, let's make a deal. Every time you feel like you can't contain your anger and wanna throw a punch, find me."

"Why?"

"So I can _try_ to talk you out of it while we walk to the Deadheads to punch trees together."

Gally cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "You think that's what I do in the Deadheads? Punch trees?"

The greenie laughed lightly. "Hey, you punch things when you're mad, and what's around you in the forest?"

The Builder couldn't help but smile the _slightest_ bit at her laugh, an airy chime that seemed to diffuse his troubles and fill him with warmth.

The pits in his stomach flipped all of a sudden. Gally blinked at her bright smile before shaking his thoughts. Something was up with him and he definitely did _not_ like it. He felt queasy.

He must be falling sick. He should have gotten dinner.

He cleared his throat, rubbing his hands together. "And…and what if I do end up fighting again? What then?"

"If that happens, you can go back to shaking it off in the Deadheads, I guess," she shrugged. "But come back to the Glade _before_ dinner ends. Or I'll send out a search party."

"No shank'll join a search party for me at night."

"I'll be the search party." She clapped her hands together, casting a look to her far side before smiling back at him. "Because I am _not_ going to beg Frypan another time."

Gally's brows knitted in confusion. "What?"

The greenie beamed, hopping off her hammock and lifting a finger at him to wait. She walked past the few sleeping Gladers before disappearing from the area altogether. Gally watched in puzzlement. A few minutes passed before he stood in worry, about to search for her, when she came back—carrying a clear container filled with noodles.

"I thought you'd be hungry," she said, smiling shyly as she sat back in her hammock and handed him the container. "It may be a bit cold but that's your fault."

Gally stared at the food in her hands impassively. He looked back at her awaiting expression and had to press his lips together to keep from grinning in return. He shook his head before releasing a chuckle, an odd feeling of content and dizziness hitting him.

He nodded to the food, not realizing just how famished he was—he planned to eat like a horse. "Let me recall, you're ready to see my worst?"

"Yes."

" _You_ are insane, greenie."

" _Ada_."

"Not yet."

The greenie laughed, and Gally freely joined, taking the noodles from her. His eyes lingered on the dazzling smile on her lips, the sparkle in her eyes from the dim fire nearby, and subsequently felt his nerves dramatically shift. Concealing his grin, he looked away.

He was _definitely_ getting sick.

* * *

 **I apologize so very deeply for leaving this story four so long—3 months! 3 months I left it!—but I AM FINALLY DONE WITH MY EXAMS AND CURRENTLY DOING NOTHING AT HOME so I will definitely update much more frequently now. I truly hope.**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	5. Crush

**I do not own the Maze Runner.**

* * *

" _Feelings you can't deny that you're living,_

 _Open up you're your eyes,_

 _And I just wanna sink into your crazy laughter,_

 _Come on make me feel until the pain don't matter,_

 _Every second here makes my heart beat faster_

 _Finally think I found what I'm chasing after."_

 _\- Alive by Krewella -_

* * *

A Story Never Told

Chapter 5: Crush

"Wait, just to make it clear," Thomas said. "Is this going to be a love story? 'Cause it seems like it's leading to that but ho-"

" _Tommy_." Newt sighed as the boy in question gave him a beseeching look. _Should've expected impatience, as usual when it came to him_. "If ya keep listenin', you'll find out. This next story's a big hint, too."

* * *

The new greenie was a short, stocky boy, with bright blue eyes and messy brown hair. He was soft-spoken, yet had enough muscle to potentially be a Builder or Slicer, or even a Runner if a spot were open.

He had an aura peaceful enough, had come up without making too much of a fuss, gone along with Alby's every order and didn't panic or klunk himself. With a second glance, he could definitely have crawled out from one of those girly magazines—a dreamboat for desire.

Gally hated him.

"Shank," Minho quipped from the Runner's hut. "The boards?"

Gally gave a grunt, passing a plank to the boy rather roughly. His eyes stayed trained on the newbie and Ada, however, loyally following their shadows even after they've taken their seats.

 _Why in the world was she with the newbie?_ It was almost dinner. She was always around _him_ during dinner—during anytime of the day, really. She usually came to the Builder's site to _walk with him_ to dinner.

Him. _Gally_. Who did that new shank think he was?

Since the boy arrived a day ago, Ada had been assigned to help him around, show him the ropes first before Alby gave him the tour. After the tour, though, the slinthead found every opportunity to be around _her_.

Minho grumbled after catching a fourth brusquely tossed plank from Gally. "Stop throwing those things, shuck-face! What's even got ya so- _oh_." His eyes followed Gally's stare, a good-natured smirk appearing on his lips. "I see."

"Shut up." Gally retorted simply, his fiery gaze still on the pair.

"Ya know, Gally," Minho started, his voice laced with amusement. "It's progress. She's making friends with people who aren't you, Newt or that little track-hoe kid."

Gally sustained his scowl, the thought of the green- _Ada_ spending more time with anyone other than him throwing him off.

"She seems comfortable enough, and the greenie's only been here a day." Gally turned, his glare meeting Minho's impassive expression. "Maybe she _likes_ him."

" _Him_? No," Gally huffed after a moment, throwing a few more boards behind him unceremoniously. "They…it's just not happening. She's better than him."

He thought he heard Minho suppress a snicker. "Yeah, maybe. I _did_ hear about her crushing on a Glader."

Gally frowned, stiffening at the information. "What?"

Minho looked back at him after a minute of remaining silent and stacking planks—a knowing grin on the Runner's face. "What what?"

"What do you mean, a _crush_?"

"I mean a crush," he answered in an obvious tone. "Ya know, when you like someone, think about 'em all the time, dream about 'em, wanna kiss them-"

" _Minho_." Gally refrained from running an irritated hand down his face. "Where did you hear this?"

"You're weirdly interested, aren't ya?" the Runner asked, an eyebrow cocked.

The Builder shot him an incredulous look. "She's my friend."

"Of course," Minho drawled, rolling his eyes at Gally's answer. "Well, I ain't tellin' ya my source, but I can tell you that it's a Glader."

"Wow, didn't know you gossiped with Grievers, too."

"Don't try to be sarcastic with me. That's my job," Minho chided. "Besides, it could be anyone. Different shank yesterday, different shank today…"

Gally's eyebrows scrunched further. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," the Runner shrugged. "One girl, thirty or so boys, something's bound to happen. The crush could be any shank—she could be over it too by now."

"She can't be over a crush that quickly."

"She's a lone girl around thirty boys."

"So?" The Builder countered, feeling his temper creep over his annoyance at the insinuation. "She's not some kind of-"

"Whoa, I'm not implying anything! Really. She seems like a sweet girl," Minho said, raising both his hands. "I'm just saying, you never know. She has…a range of choices? Including the shuck greenie, now."

Gally scowled, his eyes darting once again to the pair before settling on Minho's pleased face. His jaw tensed, corresponding with the muscles in his fist, and he exhaled heavily.

He didn't want to punch Minho. Really, Gally didn't. He wanted to punch the greenie— _no,_ no _,_ he _didn't_ want that. He didn't want to punch anyone anymore. He did _not_ want to punch Minho-

Or maybe he _did_ and that would be reason enough for him to approach Ada and spend time with her in the forest with _no shuck Gladers around_.

Minho chuckled aloud all of a sudden, standing and patting Gally's back. "Are you…you're not interested, are ya?"

"In what?"

" _Her_."

"What? No." Gally replied instantaneously, almost defensively. "No, are you klunked in the head?"

He brushed sawdust off his shirt, his eyes only leaving the pair for a split second to survey the planks. When he turned back to frown in the direction of the dining area, Minho sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Be like that. Just try not to kill the shuckin' newbie with your eyes."

* * *

"Hey," Ada greeted when he arrived at her table, a vibrant smile on her face.

Blinded by it for a second, Gally almost missed the newbie sitting opposite her— _in his seat._ It really was not his fault that his first expression to the newbie was a frown.

Seeming to realize, Ada scooted further in, leaving an empty space next to her. "Here, you can sit here."

He pursed his lips before reluctantly sitting in the spot, doing nothing to conceal the distaste in his eyes as he regarded the nervous greenie. _He'd taken her attention, then Gally's seat, what next?_

Not that a seat was anything to protest over, but he usually sat opposite Ada. Opposite Ada where they could leisurely chat, and she'd accidently—or not—nudge his legs during particular points in a conversation. And it wasn't necessary but he liked to look at people's faces when he talked to them. And mealtimes were when he spoke with Ada.

Of course that wasn't the part that bothered him the most. It was just his _seat_. His seat opposite Ada.

"Will was just telling me about his job tryouts. Alby's gonna help him starting tomorrow. Gally?" He felt a little nudge under the table. Facing her, he saw the questioning look in her eyes. "Did someone mess up or something? You're glowering."

Her tone indicated that she knew, however. And the subtle lift of her eyebrow made Gally tone down his glare toward the greenie. "Yeah, Minho's a shuck-face."

The said Runner behind him jabbed him in his shoulder painfully. "You're the shuck-face, shuck-face," he said through a mouthful of chewed meat. "Just cause you're jealo-"

Gally slapped a hand on Minho's mouth, pushing the whining boy back to his food hastily. "Eat your dinner and slim it." The Runner licked Gally's palm, bits of food pouring out. The Builder winced in revulsion. "You're disgusting."

"And you're painful to watch."

The Builder gave the other smirking Keeper a long scowl before going back to his food.

"Wow," Ada piped after a second, shaking her head at his side, entertained. "Must've been one heck of mishap, huh?"

It was impossible for him to _not_ return her grin when she was giving him such a captivating one. So he sighed and let a smile grace his lips. "The Runner's hut just needs a few touch ups."

Ada laughed, elbowing him teasingly. "You must really hate the Runner's hut to act so _volatile_."

"You don't know the half of it, Ada."

She froze, and Gally promptly wondered if he did something wrong. He _didn't_. But Ada blinked, staring at him in a mixture of surprise and amazement. He couldn't identify _why_.

She answered for him. "You said my name."

"Oh," was all Gally could say back. He closed his eyes a few moments later, hiding an amused smirk. "You're not the greenie anymore, remember? I told you."

"Yeah, just…" she trailed off, leaving an excited and beaming smile on her lips, and a pleased glint in her eyes. She let out a soft yet animated laugh, shaking her head at him. "It's about time."

Maybe Gally could take back his words. Sitting beside her wasn't all that bad. She could elbow him, at least. And the foot nudging occasion still went on. And she was prettier up close, really—her expressions clearer, her smiles brighter; maybe he'd choose to sit beside her next time instead of opposite-

"So, Will."

The smile instantly dropped off Gally's face when she turned to the forgotten boy. He tried not to scowl at the newbie. _Tried_.

"What jobs are you interested in, so far?" she asked gently.

The newbie blinked, wringing his fingers. "I-I'm okay with anything but a med-jack sounds cool."

Gally didn't even like the boy's _voice_.

"Oh? You like healing?"

The newbie scratched his head sheepishly. "I…I think I can do it? I'm not sure, we'll have to see." Gally refrained from rolling his eyes. "It seems nice, though."

"Well, there are always others if that doesn't work out," Ada offered kindly. "What do you think about track-hoes?"

Gally frowned deeper, turning to her with nearly accusatory in his eyes.

"God, no," the boy chuckled weakly, and the Builder assures that it's the best thing to ever come out of the newbie's mouth. "I'm, uh, not interested in gardening. And soil and…do you guys have worms here?"

Gally snorted. "What, are ya scared of worms?"

The greenie nodded timidly. "Kind of…more disgusted, actually."

Ada nodded in understanding, casting a confused look at Gally. The Keeper only shrugged. She narrowed her eyes just slightly before smiling at the newbie. "You know, _maybe_ you can try out for the _Builders_."

Gally choked on his food, his eyes instantly meeting hers in disbelief.

She only kept her smile sweet. "Gally's their Keeper. You seem like you can put up with the rest of them."

Will's eyes darted to Gally and the few Builders on the table beside him. He attempted to smile at the Keeper, faltering slightly when Gally only kept glowering. "Uh, we'll see…?"

Ada shot him a look, along with mouthing a vague "be nice". Gally frowned, already planning to go _against_ her wishes, and went back to his food sulkily.

The next day when the greenie tried out for the Builders first thing in the morning, Gally gave him the toughest job there was. The greenie failed spectacularly. Gally wasn't smug about it—he really wasn't.

* * *

"It _has_ to be a love story-"

"I bloody swear-"

"Sorry. Go on."

* * *

It was the middle of the night, a few days after the newbie arrived, when Gally was awoken by sniffles and whimpers. It usually never bothered him when a Glader cried in their sleep—he was used to hearing too much in the Homestead at night.

But the higher pitch of voice was what alerted him.

"Ada?"

Immediately the sobs ceased. Her shoulders froze and Gally could see her hands rubbing her hidden face before she turned around to face him. She had wiped the tears away, obviously, but he could make out her puffy under eyes.

"Hey," her voice croaked out, and she quickly amended that with a clearing of her throat. "Did…did I wake you?"

"Kinda."

"Sorry," she said softly, guilt filling her eyes. "I didn't mean to be so loud."

Gally shook his head. "It's okay. We all have those nights."

The sides of her lips curled slightly. "Even you?"

"Sometimes," he answered vaguely. The greenie nodded, the smiled fading gradually. Gally sat up in his hammock a few moments later, unable to take her unusual silence. "What was your nightmare about?"

Her eyebrows scrunched up, her eyes looking down at her pillow for a moment before whispering, "It wasn't a nightmare."

It was a short while before Ada sighed and sat up in her hammock. "I-I don't get nightmares. I get dreams—they're always nice too. I dream about people laughing, celebrations, things like dinners and school, the outside world where everything makes sense." She offered a sad smile. "And the worst part is always waking up."

Gally listened mutely, studying the hopelessness on her face with a frown.

"I never remember faces but…but someone would always be pushing me on the swings." Her lips thinned in sorrow. "I keep hoping to wake up and remember a face. Wake up and remember someone— _anyone_ …but I don't."

"No one does," Gally said. "We all get dreams we think are flashbacks but we never remember when we wake up."

Ada nodded, staring down at her hammock before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, this sounds so awful," she laughed pathetically, wiping her under eyes. "I don't get nightmares yet I cry. I should be grateful, right? That I can still dream about nice things."

The Builder replied in an instant. "You don't have to be grateful. Not in our situation. And it's not awful—every shank deals differently."

A vacant smile flitted across her lips. "I guess."

Gally hated that smile.

After a few minutes of silence hanging over the Glade, Ada fell back onto her hammock, a heavy exhale escaping her. Gally observed her unhappiness—something he _hasn't_ missed seeing in the past few weeks—and something tight squeezed his chest.

"I wish I'd get a nightmare once," she mumbled, staring emptily at the ceiling. "Something to keep me from hoping too much."

"Hope isn't bad," he responded automatically.

Ada's head tilted to the side. "No offense, but out of every Glader here, you're the last one I'd expect to say something like that."

Her voice was devoid of any malice. It was a simple statement, something that shouldn't bother him—and it didn't. Not when she sent him a small, playful smile afterward even in her state. And knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep unless she kept that smile on, Gally stood up.

"Follow me."

"What?"

"I wanna show you something," he said, acknowledging the wary look on her face. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," she said, looking past him to the vast, dark Glade. "But in the middle of the night?"

Gally rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. "Nothing's gonna come at you. I'm right here. Now, come _on_."

"Okay, okay," she said, chuckling a little as she got out of her bunk and trailed after him, out of the security of the hammocks.

Gally stole a wooden torch from a nearby beam. They both trudged through the Glade and Gally let his hand slip through hers as they reached the mouth of the forest. He tugged her gently, making their way past the trees, their surroundings illuminated only by a dim fire from the torch.

Soon, they arrived in a clearing, a plain grassy patch surrounded by tall trees. It was a wide enough area that when Ada looked up, she could see the sky and not tree leaves.

Gally suddenly made his way to a tree across the plot of land. "You want to know where I usually go after fights?"

Ada bit back a smile, the few narrow blocks of wood nailed to the tree giving her an answer. "Let me guess. You climb?" He nodded, lifted the torch, and she gave a disbelieving laugh as she viewed the distance between them and the massive branch stretched above. " _No_ way. That's so high!"

"It's nice, actually. Peaceful." Gally bit down on a chuckle at her expression. "What, are you scared?"

"To accidently miss a step and fall from that height? Yes."

The Builder gave an amused twitch of his lips before sitting down, digging the torch into the ground beside him. "Then we can camp out down here."

Ada breathed out a chuckle, plopping down next to him and leaning against the tree. She let a few beats past before turning to him. "So what's with this place?"

"Look up."

She did. "It's an empty sky."

"Remember what I said about hope just now?" he asked quietly. Ada hummed and nodded. He took a deep breath and admitted, " _I_ hope to see the stars someday."

Her head tilted slightly at his confession and Gally forced a smile.

Like everyone in the Glade, he had hopes and dreams as well. He's thought about everything they've thought about the world, he's asked every same question. The only difference was his ability to remain impassive.

Stars were inexistent in the Glade. Since his first day up, he had never spotted one—there had been rare occasions when a Glader would convince them all that he'd see a teeny dot in the sky and assume it was a star. But he'd never seen any.

Even so, when compared to the Glade, the sky was brighter—always brighter. Somewhere from beyond the walls, the moon peeked and shone bright enough for the night sky to brighten, stretching all the way above the gloom of the Glade.

"You can't see them from here, but there has to be a place out there where they're still visible. Someplace where the sky is clear enough."

Ada regarded him in silence. "Why stars?"

"Because we don't know what's happening out there. Everyone in the Glade hopes to get back to their families one day, go back to this fantasy of a normal life, a house, friends and jobs, but what if-" he paused sharply.

He didn't talk much—definitely not about himself and his thoughts—but the inquiring eyes from Ada was all it took for him.

"I mean, what if all those things are gone? Everyone has their theories on what's goin' on but we don't really know. It could be chaos, destruction, all that. If the world was still as it was, why are we in this shuck place? Maybe all those talks about global warming came true—maybe everything's destroyed."

And like minutes ago when he was in her situation, she listened carefully.

"But stars…" Gally shrugged. "Nothing on earth can hurt them—they're untouchable. They're still out there because destruction down here can't reach 'em."

He felt almost idiotic, recounting his beliefs, but Ada's imploring look made him feel open for some unknown reason. She sat without interrupting; her face genuine and sincerely _engrossed_ as he spoke. It was something about her that made him want to tell her everything if he could.

"So stars, because I want to keep my hopes realistic. I don't wanna disappoint myself."

Ada smiled, the honesty in her eyes drawing him in. "That's actually a well-thought of hope."

"Well." He raised his shoulders, hiding a returning smile almost bashfully. "Like I said, hope isn't bad. You just gotta keep 'em grounded, too."

She nodded, and it was silent for a while before she nudged his knee with hers. He looked at her holding back a dazzling grin. "You know Gally?" she paused. "You can be full of surprises sometimes."

He nudged her back, scoffing out a laugh. "I can say the same about you."

"It's the nice kind of surprise, though."

" _That_ I can't say the same."

She threw her head back; a beautiful laugh of her own emerging as she playfully bumped his arm. Gally reveled in a silent victory before giving his own laugh, hers too contagious to hold back.

Then, she let her head fall onto his shoulder. He didn't hesitate to let his fall atop hers. "I'm really glad I know you, Gally."

"Me too," he breathed out after a moment.

And later Ada fell asleep, the steady inhale and exhale of her breath the only thing heard throughout the forest. Gally stared down at her for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before letting a small smile cover his face.

"Hey. Ada?" he whispered. "Don't you wanna go back to your hammock?"

She released a small hum, sounding almost content with her position, before soundly falling back to her slumber. Gally rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. He considered his options and decided a night in the forest would be too uncomfortable for both of them.

Gently, he hoisted the girl into his arms, careful not to wake her up. Unsurprisingly, she was as light as he'd expected. He took his time walking back to the hammocks, not wanting to accidently wake her in his rush.

He lightly placed her in her hammock, fluffing her only pillow as he went to ensure her comfortableness. He resisted the urge to brush away a few strands from her face, but with nobody around, it couldn't hurt.

"G'night, Ada," he murmured, and stiffened when a searching hand of hers clutched onto his fingers.

She slurred out a quiet, "…night…Gally."

Gally bit down on a smile, tucking the stray locks behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheeks. And then he came to his sense and frowned.

 _What was he doing?_

He made his way around to his hammock, but as he turned, caught a wide-eyed boy by the outer hammock area. By the way the boy was blinking sleep out of his eyes and scratching his lap, Gally assumed he came from the bathrooms.

Before he could open his mouth to warn the boy, however, the boy interjected:

"Don't tell anyone, right?" he piped. "Yeah, got it."

Gally nodded, a slight scowl on his face as the boy snickered and walked back to his bunk. The Keeper settled into his own hammock, casting a last long look at Ada before trying to get back to sleep. He found it impossible, however, with Ada's smile replaying in his mind every time he closed his eyes.

* * *

Back in the forest, Thomas diligently listened, not questioning for once. He wondered just how gentle and nice the hatred-filled Keeper of the Builders once was to the girl. And true to his nature, Thomas really wished he could've met this _Ada_. Curiosity rose, but he shot it down for once.

And the talk about _hope_. Thomas would never have thought the Gally he knew could think of it like that.

"Of course, that exact Glader was a good mate o' mine," Newt explained. "Wasn't that hard to coax why he was amused at the pair the next day."

"So you're a closet gossiper like Minho?"

"Oh, please," the blond boy rolled his eyes amusedly. "There's nothing _closeted_ about it."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was some kind of wordplay, but Newt had already continued—a tad excited this time, too.

* * *

Newt was patrolling the baggers and the Doors on a particularly warm day—his day off—constantly trying to help Alby here and there wherever he could.

When lunch hour came rolling in, he took off for the Gardens, ready to meet Ada and pick Gally up. Only, once he arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. Jogging over to the Builders' site, he caught a glimpse of her long dark locks behind a constructing table, receiving shade from a nearby tree.

He made his way across the site to her, his eyes searching for Gally. As he rounded on her, though, he froze.

Ada was leaning against the table, her legs spread out in front of her—but that wasn't what was out of order, no, it was the Keeper lying soundly in her laps, eyes closed and breathing lightly through his nose.

"Ada?"

The girl's head snapped up to him, a smile quickly gracing her lips. "Newt, hey." Her eyes fell back to Gally, fingers running softly atop his head before sending Newt a sheepish look. "Sorry. I left early from the Gardens. Not much to do today."

Newt kept his questioning stare on her. "Why is he there?"

"Oh, Gally? He was pretty much half-asleep when I arrived. Was measuring all wrong and getting mad at himself," she chuckled lightly, facing the sleeping boy. "He kept grumbling at random objects until I forced him to lie down. It was kind of adorable."

Newt pictured a sleepy Gally getting easily irritated at the crooked lines being measured, the utensils that would slip out of his hands and the string of curses he'd throw at the tools. He shook his head in amusement before crouching down to their level, poking at Gally.

"Had to be boring on my off-day, the klunk."

"Shh, don't bother him," Ada whispered, swatting his hand away. "He's tired. He didn't get enough sleep last night."

Newt raised a sly eyebrow, making Ada scoff. "I had a bad dream and he stayed up with me. That's it."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." She rolled her eyes as Newt snickered. "Go away, you're going to wake him."

He raised his wristwatch. "Y'know at this rate, you both'll miss lunch?"

"I'll have you know that Frypan and I are on very good terms now," Ada said simply. "Food isn't a problem for me anymore."

"Frypan singles you out for being the only girl. It's no problem for you, but Gally?"

"Frypan singles me out because I'm _nice_ and _polite_. You should try it sometimes," she shot back primly. "And it's no problem for Gally—we'll share."

Ada gave him a smile—the closest one she could manage to smug, he assumed—before leaning back against the table, her fingers absently tangled in Gally's hair. Newt studied the way she gently brushed the strands away from his face, a soft expression on her face that the Runner couldn't quite place.

Pondering back on it, he'd seen the exact same expression on Gally as well—the secret glances he'd take whenever she had her attention elsewhere, the unconscious quirk of his lips whenever she'd excitedly jump around him, and of course the unwavering awareness whenever she uttered _even a word_.

Nobody else understood but he did. Newt _knew_.

He'd been in the Glade since the beginning and had noticed so many of those passed between a few Gladers. He knew what the lingering smiles, the subliminal stares, the easy familiarity and the unyielding attention on the other—he knew what they all _meant_.

And really, he wasn't at all surprised.

"You like him."

Ada blinked at him in shock. "What?"

Newt motioned to Gally. "You _like_ him."

Her brows met in the middle at his accusation, but he wasn't imagining her hushed voice as she continued, however. "Of course. I like everyone in the Glade—well, most of them."

"No, no. This is different," Newt whispered with a grin threatening to spread on his lips. "You have a _crush_."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You have a crush," he said again, his volume enough to catch any nearby ears—and wake Gally. "You have a crush on him."

She narrowed her eyes. "Shut up. It's not like that,"—Newt didn't miss her almost muted voice whispering the next line—"Gally's my best friend."

"Oh, is that why you let him sleep on your lap? Or why you asked him to stay up with ya when you had a nightmare? Or why you were so bloody moody when he disappeared that day?" Newt's grin widened. "Or why you constantly stare and blush whenever he'd so much as say a word-"

Ada made a noncommittal sound, clipping his lips shut and shoving his face away. Newt couldn't help his laughter.

"Oh, you think you're so cheeky," she commented, frowning as Newt's guffaws failed to cease. "Stop it. _Newt_."

"Oh, wait 'til he hears about this!"

"He's _not_ going to hear about it." Her eyes stared up at him darkly from under her lashes, voice low and clipped. "Because you're not telling _anyone_. And keep your voice down."

"But-"

"I swear I will never speak to you again."

Newt scoffed playfully at that, but kept his mouth shut. His mirth was unable to hide away, however, seeing as she pursed her lips at him before silently going back to stroking Gally's hair.

Newt waited a few seconds before saying, "You should tell 'im." That earned him an incredulous gape. "No, really. M'not kiddin'."

"Tell him what?" she whispered in disbelief. "That I have a foolish schoolgirl crush on him? No!"

"A crush on who?"

Newt hid his snicker as Ada jumped, eyes wide in alarm as Gally suddenly shifted, yawning and rubbing his eyes, slowly waking from the commotion.

"Gally! You're up," she said, covering her nerves with a laugh. Then, she narrowed her eyes at Newt sharply before smiling down at the half-asleep boy. "Hey, you okay now?"

The Keeper blearily blinked up at her beaming face—quite lost in a daze if Newt was to say—before he frowned. "Wait-why am I-" He looked around him, finally coming to his senses, and jerked up. "Did I fall asleep?"

Newt hummed in affirmation, smirking. "On Ada, too."

"What?" Gally glanced Ada, a surprised—and almost bashful—expression on his face. "Shuck, I-sorry. I didn't…I-I wasn't supposed to fall asleep-sorry."

Newt regarded the Builder in amusement. "Two 'sorrys' in one sentence?" he wanted to whisper to Ada, but the girl gave him a warning look.

"It's okay," she offered Gally softly. "You were half-dazed when I got here, remember? And it was my fault anyway."

"Yeah, just…" Gally trailed off, rubbing his head. He scowled at the ground—and Newt when the Runner stifled a laugh—before regaining his normal, impassive composure. "Sorry about your legs."

"It's okay. Are you sure you're not tired anymore?"

Gally nodded. "I think I'm okay now. I…thanks."

"No problem," Ada replied, smiling brilliantly at him. "Really. It's the least I could do."

Newt stood up, handing a hand out to a still-dazed Gally to pull the Keeper up. "Now that you're bloody awake, we could all get to lunch before Fry closes, yeah?"

"It's lunch already?" Gally muttered as he stood, helping Ada up in return.

As the trio walked, Newt caught Ada's dangerous gaze—one telling him to keep his mouth shut and her crush a quite deal. He couldn't resist the cheek in him, though.

"Y'know, Gal. We were talkin' 'bout something very interesting when you were out," he started, acknowledging Ada's alarmed eyes. Newt snickered when Gally frowned in curiosity. "Yup. We were on about it when you woke up, too. Don't ya remember anythin'?"

Ada sent him a warning glare from her place beside Gally, but it only added to the blond boy's entertainment.

"I don't-wait." Gally's brows met as he reflected, oblivious to Newt and Ada's facial conversation. "Was it-this sounds stupid…something to do with a crush?"

"Bingo!"

"No!"

Gally raised his eyebrows at the two simultaneous responses. Newt laughed out loud, throwing a hand over Gally's shoulders. "Yes, shank! Our lil' Ada here has a crush-oof!"

Newt tumbled away from the shove Ada threw him, only laughing in reply as she glowered. "Newt!"

The Runner was observing Gally's immediate grimace, however. "So it's true? You have a crush on someone here?"

"No, it's noth-wait," she furrowed her brows. "What do you mean 'so it's true?' What've you heard?" Newt took the accusatory glimmer in her eyes as a success.

"Minho told me this a few days ago."

The blond Runner gave Ada a teasing smirk. "Ah, it must be more obvious than you thought, love."

"No! They're just-" The Keeper's unimpressed look made her cross her arms, turning away from them both mulishly. "It's nonsense. It's nothing. Newt's only trying to rile me up."

"Oh, but you said-oi!" Newt rubbed his shin where Ada had kicked him, his eyes wide between amusement and surprise. "You kicked me!"

She gave him a nippy "shut up, Newt," before whispering, "You're mean."

"Excuse me? _You_ kicked me!" he retorted.

Gally cleared his throat and Newt realized he was watching the entire exchange patiently. "Seriously, what-so is there a crush or not?"

"Not," Ada replied instantly, smiling widely as she patted Gally's shoulder. Then, she sent Newt another scathing glare. " _Stop making things up_."

Gally looked between them in suspicion before nodding and continuing his walk, an annoyed expression on his face at being kept in the dark. Newt stuck his tongue out at Ada, receiving the same action in response.

When they neared Frypan's kitchen, Newt had murmured, "You can maybe lower the starin' if you don't want it to be apparent," propelling Ada to walk ahead of them—not without cautiously eyeing Newt.

Gally then expectedly turned to the British lad.

"She really has a crush on a Glader?" he asked in a low voice, frowning at the innocent lot having their lunches.

Newt only grinned. He could play cupid, he supposed.

He didn't have to try hard if this was how they were.

* * *

But it hit Gally on a random day, a random fleeting moment that wasn't supposed to be important, during such a random scenario.

"Thanks, Gally," Ada had offered after he helped her carry a few harvested tomatoes to the Kitchens.

It was a normal enough say, a normal enough day, and a wonderful smile she's given him too many times before. But he found himself falling down a stupid, reckless, dreadful hole and landed so harshly it hurt.

Gally _liked_ her. As in wanted to be around her always, wanted to be the reason she smiled, wanted to comfort her whenever she was sad, wanted to drown in her laughs, wanted to touch her, hug her, and maybe, _maybe_ wanted to kiss her.

 _Oh, who was he kidding?_ Of course he did. Ada was phenomenal. She's everything good and amazing.

And Gally was absolutely shucked.

* * *

Thomas wanted to grin, wanted to tease the Builder out-loud, somehow not surprised at where the story went. He could see where it was headed as well—if all went well, that was. And Newt playing match-maker? It was a sight to imagine.

He was thrilled, actually. Completely absorbed. _Happy for a shank_ , one can say, despite the shank being a major pain in his ass.

But the forbidding glint in Newt's eyes that suddenly appeared kept Thomas' mouth shut. "As you know, Tommy, nothing ever stays peaceful in the Glade."

* * *

Stories about Runner's not making it back or getting stung by Grievers had been heard multiple times by Ada. She's been informed by Gladers here and there about the horrors of the Maze, about how dangerous the Runners' jobs were.

So far, she hadn't been exposed to any of the mentioned terror—not yet, at least.

But tranquility had never stayed in the Glade for long.

After a day of re-planting, Ada and Steve finished their duties only to find a number of Gladers by each Door, in standing groups and whispering among themselves.

The two track-hoes shared a glance and jogged over to the East door, where most of the Gladers were located.

"What's going on?" she heard Steve ask once they arrived.

The chatter dimmed slightly, Alby raising a commanding hand to speak. "Vince and Joel ain't back yet," he answered the younger Glader, then turned to the group. "Minho, you sure this was the Door they left through?"

"Yeah, they're supposed to run Section 2," the Keeper replied, hands on his hips with a somber expression.

"And they left together? You _really_ saw them turn into their section?"

"Oh, of course, I saw 'em all the way from the West door," Minho retorted, rolling his eyes. Alby casted a pointed look at him. "No, Eric and Mike did. They ran section 3."

"Hey."

Ada whirled to see Gally, a grave look on his face like she's never seen before. "Gally, hey," she responded quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just," he paused, staring out into the Maze again. "It's been five months since something like this happened.

She swallowed, mirroring him in staring out the Doors. "How many minutes more until-"

"Three." Gally frowned in concern, arms crossed in her direction. "Can you handle it up close?"

"I-I can try," she said, warily glancing at the Doors. Her fear wasn't important then. The Runners were—she wasn't particularly great friends with the Runners, barely knew Vince and Joel, but she didn't anyone _dying_. "I just want to see them make it back."

"We all do."

A gritty scream suddenly echoed through the Glade, and when Ada and Gally spun, Minho and a few Runners were already making their way to the North door. The pair made their way there with the other Gladers when another throat-searing scream sounded.

Tumbling out of the Doors and into the Runners was a beat up, bloody boy, with eyes wide and fear-stricken and his mouth opening for another scream. His attire was shredded, his Runner's pack seeming to be torn in half, and he was clutching his shoulder for dear life.

Throbbing behind his covering palm was a tiny, grimy black hole, surrounded by popping dark veins and leaking blood.

As she approached the crowd, she could hear the beaten boy murmuring something under his breath, over and over again like a mantra. The other Runners and Alby fussed over him, unable to comprehend the words.

"How the hell did they enter another section?"

"Where's Joel?"

"What happened?"

"Was it a Griever? In broad daylight?"

The wounded boy didn't reply, only continued to blubber frenziedly, blood choking out of his mouth in an attempt to scream and speak at once.

"Graham!" Minho called and a Runner clad in orange immediately rushed to his side. "Are you sure you didn't see 'em while you were out?" The Runner in question shook his head frantically, reducing Minho to confused an angry curses. "Shuck, then how-"

"No time to ask now. Get him the serum!" Alby ordered loudly, propelling a few Gladers to hoist the devastated boy off to the med-jacks.

Before he could be fully carried away, the Runner croaked out, "Joel…Joel! He-" A painful cry broke out of his mouth as the Gladers halted. "He fell and they-they-no! I couldn't see-they-they got 'im-he-"

He coughed once again before continuing his murmur, but they could all understand his next words.

"He's dead, he's dead, he's dead…"

Alby gave a signal to continue carrying him away.

As his murmurs gradually faded, the other Gladers shared terrified looks. Alby exhaled heavily, his eyes darting back to the Maze. The rest of the Gladers followed suit, turning to the Door to wait for a sign of Joel. Vince's words no doubt rang through everybody's heads, but they still _waited_.

Until-

"Close your ears," Gally whispered to her desolately, and the Doors slowly closed with a thundering boom.

* * *

 **There you have it. Whew. Finding a job is hard, guys. Interviewing is scary. But writing takes so much stress of that. I hope this chapter was better than the last. Please, please tell me if Gally is acting way too OOC, even if this was set in the past.**

 **And thank you so much for all the lovely comments, follows and favorites—they make my day!**

 **Thank you for reading! :)**


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